The Journey
by idontstinkinknow
Summary: When Sokka finds Zuko in Ba Sing Se, the two boys get into trouble with the Dai Li, forcing them to (maybe) travel across the world together in order to find the gaang. Zukka (SokkaxZuko).
1. Chapter 1

**Alright! So I haven't written a fic in ****_years_****. But I was dying for some Zukka! I'm definitely not the best writer and this story will have a not-so-mushy, and pretty slow start. Well anyway, here it is!**

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Sokka followed the gang and Joo Dee grumpily, his arms crossed over his chest and his lip stuck out in a deep pout. They were wandering around Ba Sing Se in search of Aang's sky bison, Appa. But from the moment they got to the city, the population seemed… strange. There was no mention of the war, and Joo Dee, one of the escorts forced upon them, blatantly ignored Sokka's requests to see the king immediately, and told them they had to wait at least a month. After hearing this everyone agreed it was probably best to begin the search for Appa while they waited.

He sighed heavily, letting his arms drop to his sides as he trailed behind everyone. Aang's questions about where the flying bison could be located were turning up fruitless, and Sokka wondered if Joo Dee had something to do with it. He fell behind a little further, a plan formulating in his mind.

Sokka grinned to himself and slowed a little more. If he could get away from Joo Dee he was sure the questions would entice better answers.

As the gang began to turn a corner, Aang at the lead, dragging his feet somberly, Sokka quietly turned and walked in the opposite direction. He continued like this for a minute, and then turned sharply and suddenly into a nearby ally. He stood there for a time to be sure the group hadn't realized his absence, and then continued on to the monorail, marching with his chest puffed out, pleased with his brilliance.

Sokka wandered around Ba Sing Se's Lower Ring in search of a person who looked like they may know the where abouts of the black market. As he scanned the faces of the residents of Ba Sing Se he spotted someone familiar.

"Jet?" He gasped. Sokka was not sure what the boy was doing here, but he knew Jet, and he knew that trouble followed the rogue wherever he went. Sokka stood back a ways out of the boys sight. It was probably best for him to wait and watch to see what mischievous teenager was up to.

For a few minutes, Jet stood outside a small teashop, peaking through the blinds occasionally. Suddenly he jumped back as hot liquid was thrown out of the window. He scowled and seemed to hold a debate with himself before stalking away quietly.

Curious, Sokka drifted to the teashop and opened the front door. He looked around warily, not seeing anyone in the room. _Well this was pointless. _He concluded, a bit cross as he seated himself. A cup of tea sounded nice anyway, so he picked up the menu and began reading it carefully. After a few moments he had his choice down to two teas, abut couldn't decide.

"May I help you." Someone grumbled at his side, not really asking, just reciting.

"Yeeaaahhhh…" Sokka said slowly, still scanning. "Would you recommend the Coconut Oolong or - " He stopped abruptly and slapped down the menu, mouth gaping. "ZUKO?!" He shrieked, leaping from his seat and grabbing for his boomerang. Didn't that just figure. The universe could never let Sokka win. Of all the things, running into the firebending prince was the last thing he expected.

Zuko had been looking away, and didn't realize who he was serving until he heard his name screeched. Quick as lightning he grabbed Sokka's wrist, stopping his hand from reaching the weapon. The air was tense as the two stared at each other, and a flash of fear swept through firebender's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko hissed, shaking his head forcefully in an attempt to hide the weak emotion. "And refer to me as Lee!"

Sokka wrinkled his nose at the request and shook Zuko's hand away. "Lee? Hmph. What are _you _doing here _Lee_?" He snapped, rubbing his sore wrist. The prince had an unpleasantly tight grip.

Zuko let out a groan and ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. "Listen, whatever your name is-" He started. Sokka scoffed, offended, and attempted to hide his hurt. The firebender had been chasing them for how long? And he didn't even know his name! Zuko continued, ignoring Sokka, "I don't want any trouble. Uncle and I are here for a new start." Sokka rolled his eyes, and Zuko snapped in response, "You'd better not mess this up!"

"Well," Sokka said matter-of-factly. "I can't really say I believe you." He looked the fire prince up and down, noting the apron tied around his waist and the plain clothing he wore. "Are you… in hiding?"

Zuko scowled. "Does it matter? How about you just leave." Zuko grabbed Sokka by the arm and dragged him out of the building. "Hey, hey, hey! Watch it!" The Water Tribe warrior shouted.

"Listen, kid." Zuko said forcefully as he let Sokka go outside the teashop. "I'm dead serious. Uncle and I are trying to start a new life, and we don't need you and the stupid Avatar around drawing attention to us!"

Sokka brushed non-existent dirt from his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow. "First of all the name's Sokka!" He glared sharply at Zuko, the prince's golden eyes meeting his own icy blue. "And like Aang would willingly come within a hundred miles of you!" Sokka sighed and crossed his arms contemplating. Even if Zuko was up to something, it's not like Sokka wanted to take him on alone. Finally he continued, "I still don't trust you, but I'll leave, _Lee_." He turned on his heel and began to march away, then shouted back over his shoulder, "You'd better not be lying!"

Sokka slumped onto the futon in his room back at the hut that Joo Dee had led them to before the search for Appa had begun. He stared at the ceiling, torn about what to do in regards to Zuko. The gang had yet to return, which left him some time to decide. He groaned smoothing his hand over his hair. Zuko seemed dead serious. Then again, Sokka had never seen him looking anything but. The boy rolled onto his side, remembering the look of fear that had appeared in the prince's eyes. "Well…" Sokka mumbled, sitting up. "Maybe I'll keep checking in on him." It felt wrong to alert the gang and blow Zuko's cover if he really was telling the truth. Knowing Katara, she'd go flying down there on a tidal wave. Sokka fell back onto the futon again, letting his head slap his pillow with a loud thump. It was decided. There was definitely no need to alert anyone yet.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later Sokka carefully sunk out of the residence provided to them by the Earth King. Joo Dee had returned after a short disappearance, claiming she went on a vacation to Lake Laogai. She was now distracted, scolding the rest of the gang for the posters of Appa they'd hung the day before. Sokka wandered to the monorail relishing the cool air of the morning; still a bit miffed as he thought about the underappreciated painting he'd done of the bison _from memory_.

As Sokka purchased a ticket to the lower ring he wondered what Zuko would be doing now, and what Jet must have been up to. As he sunk into a seat on the monorail, realization hit him. Jet hated the Fire Nation. Zuko and Iroh were Fire Nation. Jet had a vicious and manic desire to end the lives of all Fire Nation, whether they innocent civilians or the Fire Lord. _Zuko and Iroh were Fire Nation. _Sokka slapped his forehead angrily. That stupid Freedom Fighter would be the end of him. If Zuko really _was_ trying to start a new life, Jet would surely ruin that chance.

Sokka jumped suddenly, realizing he was feeling bad for the evil prince that had been trying to capture them for who knows how long. But still… He sighed, biting his lip. He couldn't just let Jet ruin Zuko's new life.

As Sokka's stop arrived, he stood and exited the monorail, still unsure of exactly what he was going to do when he made it to the teashop. He walked slowly and pondered whether or not to tell Zuko of Jet's presence. He finally made it to the teashop and once again seated himself. He waited patiently and, as expected, Zuko walked to his table like there was a stick in his ass.

"What are you doing back here?" He growled.

Sokka shrugged in response, smoothing his hand over his hair nonchalantly. "Just checking up on ya." He eyed the waiter nervously, but the quickly added, "I haven't told anyone you're here, but I don't think I'm the one you should be worrying about."

Zuko scowled and stared at Sokka, silently demanding him to continue.

"Well, ya see," Sokka said slowly, glancing around. The teashop was empty. "I noticed this guy, Jet, skulking around here the other day. I'm positive he knows you're not just some refugees."

Zuko's eyes widened and he quickly brushed some hair out of his eyes. Sokka followed the movement, a bit distracted. "You're sure about this?" The prince's voice was hushed and menacing, but it didn't disguise the fear that once again danced across his golden eyes.

Sokka shrugged, his attention returning to the matter at hand. "I mean Jet's not stupid. Look at you. Dark hair, yellow eyes, giant scorch mark on your face-" Sokka winced a bit, realizing that may have been a little harsh. "What I mean to say is, it wouldn't be hard to figure out that you're Fire-" Zuko's hand slapped over Sokka's mouth, and the Water Tribe boy felt his cheeks flush a bit.

"Okay. I get it." Zuko was practically whispering as he let his hand drop. "What am I supposed to do?"

Sokka was a little taken aback by the question. He had no idea, and hadn't really thought about it. "U-um…" He stammered. "I dunno… We're just here to find Appa…" Zuko slumped into the seat next to him, then shot a look in his direction.

"The bison?"

Sokka nodded, mentally slapping himself for giving away their reasons for being in the city, as well as a weakness. The two boys were silent for a moment, until Zuko finally said, "I could help you find it."

Sokka looked at him, suspicion filling his thoughts. "What could you possibly gain from doing _that_?"

Zuko shrugged, unsure himself as to why he'd volunteered. He _had_ heard some beggars talking about a big fluffy monster being kept a few blocks away, and the suggestion had popped out before he thought about what he was saying. The prince decided to think a moment before responding this time. "Perhaps… If I help you find the Avatar's pet, your group could handle Jet." Zuko shrugged after, as if that had been what he was thinking all along. "I've heard mention of your bison around town, anyway."

Sokka contemplated this deal, resting his elbows on the table. "Well… I dunno…" This was really the best lead the gang had found since they arrived. And Sokka learned that if Zuko was good at anything, it was tracking. "How do I know this isn't just some trap?"

Zuko sighed heavily, his frustration apparent. Sokka noticed the temperature around them rise slightly, and he scratched his ear nervously.

"I am _not _lying." The prince growled.

"Well… Gah!" Sokka was flustered and frustrated. He shut his eyes and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I mean, would _you _trust the guy that's been trying to capture you and your friends for months? Sorry Zu -_Lee_- but you're a pretty scary guy." Sokka tugged at the collar of his shirt and looked over at the firebender. "Uh… Is it getting hotter in here?" He squeaked, catching the glare Zuko was giving him.

"No." The prince said flatly. He took a deep breath, and waited until he got his temper in check before continuing. "There's really no way I can convince whether or not I'm telling the truth. I have a lead on the sky bison. I don't know what else you want to hear."

Sokka sighed. Zuko was right. There was no way of knowing the truth, and with no other leads, the gang was stumped. But there was no way he could recruit his friends into doing this. Aang _maybe_, Toph _maybe_, but Katara- no way. Sokka was getting tired of all this thinking. He'd have to go with Zuko alone, and that was dangerous, but if he was telling the truth… The boy from the Southern Water Tribe stared up at the prince of the Fire Nation skeptically. "Alright. When do we set out?"

Zuko looked surprised for a moment, but it was quickly covered up with an emotionless mask. Sokka noticed this cover-up, and wondered why, but didn't care to ask for fear of being roasted.

"I have to work for another hour." Zuko muttered, standing up in a hurry, remembering he what he was supposed to be doing. "Can I uh… Get you something."

Sokka smirked. _Hah! Being served by the prince of the Fire Nation. _This was a chance he was not willing to miss."Coconut Oolong sounds just lovely."

Zuko growled and stalked off to the back room of the teashop.

"Alright, are you ready?" Sokka asked as they stood outside the shop. Zuko nodded silently, slinging a pack and a sheath over his back and stalking off. Sokka followed, already exasperated.

The prince led him a few blocks away, to a large barn. They crept in quietly, and scanned the scene. It was huge and empty. Sokka frowned examining the ground and finding big tufts of white hair. "Oh yeah. Appa was definitely here." He muttered, tossing it back to the ground. "But where did he-"

"Well hello there, youngin's!" An old worn voice exclaimed. Sokka and Zuko both jumped and spun around, finding a raggedy old man holding a large broom. "Can I help ya?"

Sokka was clutching his chest and breathing heavily, his eyes wide. "Why'd ya have to go and sneak-!"

Zuko cut Sokka off, slapping his hand over his mouth. "We're looking for the animal that was here. Where did he go?"

"Oohhh…" The man said slowly. The prince removed his hand, shooting Sokka an annoyed glance. "They took it off to some island. Whale Tail or sumthin' ridiculous like that… Some rich folk bought him up, I suppose."

Zuko nodded, thanked the man, and left the barn, Sokka following grumpily with his arms crossed.

"That island." Zuko mummered as they walked down the crowded street. "It's very far."

"Yeah. I guess I'll have to tell the gang what-"

"Sokka?" Someone questioned, grabbing his shoulder. The Water Tribe boy jumped, spinning around. "Why does this keep happening?!" His screech was piercing and garnered a number of glares from surrounding citizens. After recovering from the second upsetting surprise the Tribesman realized who had approached them. "… Jet? Uhh, w-what are you doing here?" Sokka eyed Zuko nervously.

"I found this poster." Jet said, pulling some paper out of his pocket. "I figured I could help… Who's the dude with the scar?"

The other two boys frowned at each other. "Help…?" Zuko questioned, unsure about Jet's sudden forgetfulness.

Suddenly another voice joined the confusion. "Jet! Jet!" Two kids, who Sokka recognized as Jet's companions, Longshot and Smellerbee, strode up to them. They were looking at Jet with worry in their eyes. "Where have you been?" Smellerbee asked. "We saw you get arrested by the Dai Li, and then you disappeared for days!"

"What? I haven't been arrested! I was here the whole time! I've been working and living peacefully." Jet looked as confused as his two companions and Sokka cocked and eyebrow at him.

Living peacefully? That didn't sound anything like Jet. He eyed Smellerbee and Longshot, noting the deep concern in their eyes. Something suspicious was going on here. Both seemed dead serious, and the Dai Li… Everything surrounding that organization made Sokka suspicious. Something was definitely not right. How could Jet forget being arrested? _…Wait._

"Jet's been brainwashed!" Sokka shrieked, jabbing a finger in the rogue's face.

The rest of the kids, including Zuko looked extremely shocked, and Sokka realized just how ridiculous he sounded, but Smellerbee recovered and grabbed Jet by the arm. "Let's get him out of here." She said flatly. Jet protested but the group managed to grab him and drag him into an abandoned building nearby.

"The Dai Li…" Zuko said slowly. "They are a dangerous organization."

Sokka nodded. "I never did trust them." He turned to Jet, who was sitting on the floor, surrounded by the other kids. "We need to jog your memory."

Everyone was silent, unsure of how to proceed.

"Think of something that stimulates powerful emotions." Zuko suggested, waving a hand nonchalantly, as if this ordeal was draining his patience.

Smellerbee kneeled next to Jet, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Think of your parents, Jet… Think of what happened to them."

"My parents?" He muttered, clearly confused. Sokka wondered if Jet remembered _anything, _and was a little pleased that the Freedom Fighter had at least remembered his name… Unlike _Zuko_. Sokka crossed his arms with a loud humph, eliciting strange looks from the people around him, except Jet, who was holding fistfuls of his own hair in his balled up fists.

"I can't!" Jet finally gasped, wincing as he hugged his knees. "It's too painful!"

"Okay…" Smellerbee said soothingly. "Think about us, the Freedom Fighters. Then try and remember what happened when the Dai Li took you."

Jet buried his face into his knees and for a long moment he was silent. Sokka observed the boy as his white knuckles dug into his temples, buried by tousled brown hair.

"Ah… A-a lake." Jet growled. "The took me on… a _vacation._" He hissed these words, picking his head up. "We went underwater and… I don't know. That's all I can really make out…"

Sokka's eyes widened as he heard Jets broken story. It sounded all too familiar. "A vacation?" Sokka exclaimed. "To a lake? They took you to Lake Laogai! They must have done the same thing to the lady who was keeping an eye on us!"

Jet stared at everyone, wide eyed. "Lake Laogai…? That's it! That's where they took me!"

"We should see what those jerks are up to." Sokka decided. "They might be the ones who took Appa."

"No way." Smellerbee said, Longshot behind her, nodding in agreement. "We came here for a fresh start, right, Jet? They already grabbed you once."

Jet looked up at the small girl, his ridiculous eyebrows in a deep furrow and his mouth turned down in a sharp frown. He seemed to be holding a furious debate with himself as he glanced between Sokka and Smellerbee. "Alright." He decided. "We're keeping out of it. This time." Smellerbee and Longshot both let out a sigh of relief.

Sokka turned to Zuko hopefully. The prince was staring at the ground deep in thought. He'd told Sokka he would help find the sky bison, but Jet was no longer a threat, seeing as he clearly had no idea who Zuko was. Despite this Zuko felt guilt sprout in his stomach at the idea of leaving the Water Tribe peasant to infiltrate the Dai Li on his own. Sokka was clearly not the sneaky type, and he didn't seem particularly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Especially against potential earthbenders. Besides, it would be dishonorable to leave the boy to his own devices without holding his end of the deal up.

"Alright. I'll go." Zuko said finally.

Sokka grinned, catching the prince's eye, but quickly coughed to cover up his excitement. Totally not manly. "Awesome. So Smellerbee… Would you guys mind doing me a favor?"

The girl stared at him blankly.

"Oooookaayy…" Sokka continued unsure. "If we've been gone for a couple days, would you mind telling Aang and the others what's up?"

She continued to stare, but eventually gave a sharp nod. Sokka quickly explained where to find his friends and thanked the girl profusely, a little intimidated.

"Would you also mind informing my uncle?" Zuko asked, meeting the girl's eyes. She nodded. And replied, "We know where he is." The prince didn't care to respond, not really surprised.

"Welp. What now?" Sokka asked Zuko, placing his hands on his hips. Normally Sokka was the plan guy, but he'd been feeling lazy today… And he had no idea where to start. So there was that.


	3. Chapter 3

The two boys raced through the dark to the entrance the Dai Li had raised at the edge of Lake Laogai. They'd been there all day, hidden and waiting for their chance to slip into the fortress. This was perfect. Two particularly stupid members of the Dai Li had left the entrance to underwater hideout open, forgetting to replace it before they left.

Zuko grinned to himself as he jumped into the hole that had been raised from the bottom of the lake. Sokka trailed close behind, although he was a little noisier that the prince would have liked. Zuko caught the ladder as he fell, and watched Sokka do the same above him. At least he wasn't completely incompetent.

At the bottom Sokka met Zuko's eyes, and the prince motioned for him to follow. They crept down halls filled with huge metal doors for a few minutes, hearing nothing. Sokka hoped this was because everyone was home sleeping or something of the sort, but he didn't get his hopes up, knowing how the universe liked to treat him.

The walls were made of large stone bricks and there was a green tint from the dim lighting that lined the floor of the hallways. Suddenly the Tribesman smelled something awful... And awfully familiar. He quickly tapped Zuko's shoulder; motioning to a door they had just passed. The prince nodded sharply and examined the door. Sokka frowned at the chains strung through handles, held together by a huge padlock, but Zuko, unfazed, grasped the lock and took a quick, deep breath. The metal began to soften beneath the prince's fingers and Sokka watched amazed and (although he hated to admit it) a bit impressed.

Zuko yanked the lock apart and silently placed the chains on the floor, then pulled the doors open. Sokka jumped for joy as he pranced into the room and leapt onto the sky bison's side. "Appa!" He whispered. "Don't worry, buddy. We're getting you out of here."

Zuko stood just inside of the doorway with the doors closed, watching Sokka nuzzle his face into the side of the great fluffy animal. Appa was humming in delight, trying his best to reach him with his tongue. When the Sokka finally got off, the Bison gave his face an appreciative lick, leaving him dripping in saliva and looking miserable.

"Ya just couldn't resist, could ya?" He grumbled, patting Appa's nose anyway.

Zuko couldn't fight back the smile that crept onto his face and the laugh that bubbled in his throat. Hearing the sound, Sokka looked up, shocked. He'd never heard the prince laugh, but it was a nice sound and he caught himself thinking the prince's smile was pretty nice, too. The darker-skinned boy felt a blush creep across his cheeks, and quickly looked away, coughing in an attempt distract himself from the weird thought. "So, uh, Appa." The bison's large eye looked in Sokka's direction. "You think you can get out of here on your own? Go back to Aang." The bison grumbled in response and marched towards the doors as Zuko opened them. The two boys followed and watched Appa wander down the hallway quietly.

After the bison disappeared in the murky light, Sokka turned to Zuko.

"So… Should we see what's going on down here?"

Zuko nodded and led the way in silence. As they walked Sokka wondered why Zuko was still helping him. The deal was kind of pointless, seeing as Jet was no longer a threat. And if anything, this was just a bunch of trouble that would surely blow the boy's cover if they were caught. Perhaps the prince was being… nice?

_Psh, yeah right._

The two boys had wandered through the underwater fortress, but found it uncomfortably empty, and after a while they decided to leave. As they neared the ladder Zuko halted and spun around shouting, "Sokka, get down!"

Sokka ducked instinctually and twisted around just in time to see a burst of flames and flying stone fists heading straight for Zuko. Like lightning Sokka had his boomerang out and was smashing the stone hands. He quickly rolled out from under Zuko and jumped into a fighting stance. Before either of the boys had a chance to make another move, their hands and feet were pinned against the wall by small stone cuffs. Zuko caught Sokka's eye and whispered, "_Don't look_." Sokka was confused, but squeezed his bright blue eyes shut as the Dai Li agent approached.

"A firebender, eh?" The Tribesman heard the man say. There was a moment of silence. "Damn idiots must've left the entrance open. Figures they'd leave me on duty alone the night a firebender shows up." Zuko snorted. "Alright, better get you two to Long Feng."

At these words Zuko took in a slow, heavy breath and Sokka squeezed his eyes shut tighter, sensing what was about to happen as the temperature around them rose. "Hah!" The prince let the breath out with force and Sokka saw bright light flash through his eyelids as he felt an immense heat pass him. There was a blood curdling scream and the air filled with a putrid smell. It was all the boy could do to keep his eyes closed as he felt the stone fall from his limbs, no longer controlled by the distracted Dai Li agent. Horror began to well inside of him as the smell filled his lungs, and the screams overpowered his thoughts. The sound was ringing in his ears and Sokka felt his knees get weak. The smell was too over powering, what was he supposed to do? He couldn't open his eyes, he didn't want to see what was happening, but-

A hand close around his wrist, and he finally opened his eyes to find Zuko staring down at him. "We need to go- now!" The prince began to drag Sokka up the ladder until the boy gathered his wits and followed.

They emerged from the Dai Li hideout and Zuko began sprinting into the forest surrounding the lake. Sokka followed without question and the two ran for a full five minutes, deep into the woods. When the prince finally stopped, he threw his back against a large spruce and sunk to the ground, holding his head tightly in his hands. Sokka stood a ways back, breathing heavily and unsure how to react. The terrifying scene was still too fresh in his mind.

Zuko was silent, his breathing calm, and after the two boys stood for a moment, he spoke with his face still buried in his hands.

"…I'm sorry you had to witness that."

Suddenly burning flesh was all Sokka could smell and he choked a little, trying to forget the terrifying experience. Before he could even think, he was bent over and heaving stomach bile into the grass in front of him.

"I-I'm sorry," Sokka croaked as he wiped his mouth. "I-I mean… You had to do it…"

Zuko finally looked up and stared at Sokka. There was a weird expression on his face, like he was trying to smother regret and guilt with anger. He closed his amber eyes tightly and turned away. "Yeah."

Sokka bit his lip, trying to ignore the revolting taste in his mouth as he decided how to respond. Eventually he sat next to the prince, leaning against the tree as well. "No… I really am sorry." He muttered, and then continued, unable to repress his urge to babble nervously. "This is really my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to come. This never would have happened if I went alone or got the gang or something. I mean you held up your end of the deal well enough, and my end sort of took care of its self, so there was no need to-"

"Stop."

Sokka went silent. There wasn't any venom in the prince's demand. It was flat and rather void of emotion. The darker-skinned boy glanced over his shoulder and found the firebender looking at him though shaggy black bangs. His eyes, like before, reflected the emotion the rest of his face refused to show. But what was it now? Shame?

Suddenly the prince's eyes sharpened and he was on his feet with his swords out in less time than it took for Sokka to blink. Startled, the Tribesman jumped up as well, scrambling for his trusty boomerang. He heard a chuckle from the trees and, out of the black void that was the sky, dropped Jet.

"Sounded like some pretty crazy shit went down in there." The rogue said casually as he spun a single hook sword around his fingers. "I saw you got the pet free though."

Zuko bristled, clenching his mouth shut and staring the boy down.

Sokka glanced between them nervously, asking, "What are you doing here, Jet?"

Jet looked at him blankly for a moment, and then shrugged as his typical oh-so-charming smirk appeared. "I figured if I couldn't partake, I could at least watch."

Zuko put his back to the Freedom Fighter and addressed the Tribesman.

"Listen, Sokka… We need to get out of here. The Dai Li will know what's happened and… I'm sorry but I don't think it's safe for our, uh… _loved ones_ if we go back. We'll lead the enemy right to them. The Dai Li have no idea who caused this mess. We need to keep Uncle and everyone else safe and anonymous. Perhaps if we can keep the Dai Li occupied with chasing us, your friends will have a chance to figure out what they're up to and stop it. And the Avatar has his transportation back. That's one less thing he'll have to worry about."

Sokka was stunned into silence, and the firebender glanced away, emotionless. "I understand if you'd prefer to go on your own."

Finally able to form coherent thought, Sokka jumped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He blurted. "Like _that's_ an option." He sighed feeling a bit disappointed in himself. He didn't necessarily _want _to traipse around the country with one of Aang's most dangerous enemies, but he knew he'd never be able to last on his own with the Dai Li after them. He sighed heavily. It had to be done. "So. What now? Maybe we should try and meet Aang and everyone somewhere."

Zuko didn't reply for a moment. "And where would that be?"

"Well, Aang's next definite stop is probably…" Sokka paused unsure how Zuko would respond. "He needs to go to the Fire Nation. All he has left to master is firebending. And maybe they'd find us on our way. We could bring you back to your uncle, and… "

Sokka had noticed the prince's back snap straighter at the mention of his homeland. "I see." Was his only response.

Huh. That sounded like a _no_. The boy from the Southern Water Tribe began to pout to himself, and tried to think of what his next step alone would be.

"We'd better get going." Zuko insisted. "We'll have to walk all night and then some tomorrow if we want to put some real distance between us and the Dai Li."

Sokka's eyes brightened and he jumped in front of the fire prince, beaming.

"That means you'll come?!"

Zuko's face flushed lightly and he nodded, taking an aggravated step back. "We should head south first. We need to get around and out of the city, then head west to the gate. Then I think continuing on south would be the fastest route."

Through the planning Jet watched, interested and silent until now. "How will your pals even know if you're alive?" He tossed into the discussion, raising one of his erratic eyebrows.

The two boys glanced at him; having forgot he was still there.

Sokka's eyebrows furrowed. He knew what Jet was getting at, but the tribesman hated asking him for a favor, and he _definitely _didn't want his sister to know the manipulative rogue was in the city. Half of Ba Sing Se would probably end up under water if she did. But… It seemed unavoidable. If the gang didn't know that Sokka was safe they'd probably spend far more time searching for him than they could spare. The Fire Nation was getting more powerful and Aang needed to master the four elements as soon as possible.

The Water Tribe warrior sighed and slapped his forehead as he begrudgingly muttered, "…Would you be so kind as to tell the gang what's happening?"

Jet let out a pleased snicker. "Why of course. Anything for an old friend!" He slapped Sokka's back a few times.

"Can you tell my Uncle as well?" Zuko said, his face blank. The firebender was secretly fighting the fear of drawing back Jets attention. The Freedom Fighter was acting more like his usual self, and the prince was concerned Jet might remember the animosity he held for Zuko. Not only that, he feared Jet may have seen him firebend in the Dai Li's fortress.

But if he did, it didn't show, and he agreed, waving his hand in the air as he said, "Yeah, sure. I think Smellerbee knows where he is."

Zuko nodded, not allowing his relief to show. He caught Sokka's eye and began to walk away. "We need to leave."

The tribesman nodded, offering a short wave to Jet. As he followed Zuko, he shot over his shoulder, "You'd better be carful! Katara is _not _going to be happy to see you."

Jet scoffed and began to walk back to the city, once again twirling a hook sword on his finger.


	4. Chapter 4

The boys did as Zuko recommended and marched through the night, as well as the next day. The traveling was silent, and it left Sokka too much time to reflect on the incident in the tunnel. Neither of the boys felt comfortable addressing it again, and this only made it worse. By the time the second evening came around Sokka was ready to collapse, and when Zuko stopped- the Water Tribe warrior did.

"I can't go on!" He groaned. The boy's voice was muffled by the ground, which he was currently trying to sink into face first.

Zuko looked back skeptically, and then glanced at the sky through the heavy foliage that almost obscured it. "I suppose we can stop for the night."

Sokka rolled on his back, relief flooding through every inch of him. "I'm hungry." He whined, sitting up. "And I just realized I have absolutely _no_ supplies!"

Zuko dropped the pack he'd been carrying since they first left in search for Appa. He rummaged through and pulled out a cloth bundle about the size of his head. "I haven't got much…" He mummered. "But it should last us three days or so if we're carful." Zuko unwrapped the bundle to reveal a fair sized loaf of bread, a small slab of cheese, and a few strips of jerky.

Sokka gasped, falling back to the ground dramatically. "I could totally kiss you right now!" He exclaimed punching the air triumphantly. He froze. Ooooh. That was awkward. Sokka cleared his throat nervously and sat up to face the prince. "And by that I mean well done, Zuko. Way to be prepared and… stuff."

"Yeah, yeah." Zuko grumbled, breaking off a piece of the bread and handing it to his excitable companion, who took it eagerly. Zuko tossed him a piece of jerky as well (which Sokka seemed to fawn over), and then began to munch on a bit of bread he broke off for himself. He observed Sokka quietly, and wondered how he was ever going to make it across the world with such an… idiot.

Sokka felt the prince's gaze and looked up from the meager meal, meeting his eyes. The piece of jerky hung from the corner of his busy mouth, which happened to be covered in breadcrumbs. "What."

Zuko raised an eyebrow and shook his head, trying to hide a smirk with another bite of bread. He wasn't the smartest, but at least the guy was funny.

When Zuko looked up again just moments later, Sokka was back to lying on the ground, this time snoring loudly. The prince sighed and pulled his blanket out of his pack as he put the food away. Being a firebender, Zuko had a higher body temperature than the average person, so he figured he might as well lend the blanket to Sokka.

It was late in the night when Zuko awoke suddenly to Sokka leaping up and running into the brush. Only a moment later there was the sound of heaving and the prince cringed. It couldn't have been the food, for it seemed to be sitting well in his own stomach…

Rather than indulge in curiosity and happen upon a less than desirable scene, Zuko waited patiently for Sokka to return. The blue-eyed boy, however, did not, and the firebender noticed the faint sound of rattled breathing. Concerned and cautious, Zuko drew his twin blades and quietly stepped through the heavy undergrowth that Sokka had barreled through minutes before. A few feet away, the boy of the Southern Water Tribe was crouched on the ground with his back to the prince. He was hugging his knees, with his face buried in them.

Zuko had to admit he was confused and unsure on how to proceed. He scrunched his face in discomfort, lowered his weapons, and then approached. "Sokka…" He said slowly in an attempt to announce his presence without startling the boy. Sokka's uneven breathing stopped and he furiously scrubbed at his face with his hands as he stood. "What." He replied flatly, not turning to face the fire prince.

"Uh… Are you… Sick?" Zuko cursed his inability to communicate with people as he stood awkwardly. Clearly he just walked in on some kind on mental breakdown.

Sokka said nothing, his hands clenching and unclenching systematically.

"I, uh…" The tribesman started, stopping because of the crack in his voice. He cleared his throat and continued. "No, I'm good."

Zuko desperately wanted to nod and walk off, ending the humiliating scene, but his slight knowledge of social situations told him that perhaps he should attempt to comfort his new travel companion. He sighed, and finally said flatly, "So you were crying, or what?"

Sokka's back went rigid and signaled to Zuko that his inquiry was _not_ appreciated. In an attempt to recover some kind of good standing, the prince mumbled, "People cry and stuff… It's fine."

Sokka smoothed a hand over his muddled hair-do, and attempted to fix the wolf's tail. "Sorry." He said, emotion bubbling in his voice.

Zuko groaned inwardly, but kept his face straight. "Uhm… So… What happened?"

Sokka glanced over his shoulder, but quickly turned away again. Zuko noticed his blue eyes looked dull and cold. Unintentional worry blossomed in the prince's stomach. He hadn't known Sokka long at all, but the tribesman had never looked like this before.

"I uh, had a bad dream, I guess."

The two were silent, and Zuko knew what the nightmare had been about.

"It was because of what I did." He said, being sure to keep his voice emotionless.

Sokka shrugged and decided to go back to where they'd set up camp. He slapped Zuko's shoulder as he passed in an attempt to be friendly, and said with empty eyes, "You had to."

The prince sighed as he followed. "I know that." He stated. "So why is bothering _you _so much."

Sokka didn't respond as he lay in his original spot in the dirt, staring at the dark sky through the leaves. Zuko could see the memory running through the boys eyes on repeat as he sat next to him and returned the twin blades to their sheath. The two sat in silence while the prince thought of the best way to approach the situation at hand. He had little experience in comforting people, but this was a struggle he had once dealt with personally, and he knew it was difficult to move past. He didn't know Sokka well, but he felt a duty to the boy, having been the reason for the traumatizing experience.

"Listen… I know how you feel. That smell," Sokka noticed Zuko unconsciously touch his scar. "It's not something you forget. I tried to protect you from the situation as best I could. I know that seeing something like that is difficult enough to process, but… Hearing it and…" Zuko trailed off, unsure where to go from there.

Sokka shut his eyes lightly and nodded to show Zuko he was listening. The prince, however, did not know how to take the gesture and sat in silence for a moment. Sokka opened his eyes, curious.

"The first time I burned someone, I didn't realize what I was getting into." Zuko looked away, his face hard and unreadable. "Fire bending is about control. When I was young I had very little, and I was often too reckless." Sokka listened intently, but said nothing. "I was probably ten the first time. My sparring partner and I were playing some stupid game. When he lost, he took it poorly. He decided I'd cheated and tackled me… He was so stupid. When he started to punch me I became afraid and grabbed his wrist. Before I could even think about what I was doing… His skin blistered under my grip, and I heard those screams for days..." He grimaced and met Sokka's eyes. "Anyway. What I'm trying to say is… I know what you're feeling, and it's okay. You're allowed to be upset. It's not the most pleasant experience."

Finally Sokka spoke, but first he rolled over, putting his back to the prince.

"Thanks..."

It wasn't hollow gratitude. It sounded honest, and relief flooded through Zuko. For the first time in years he felt like he had done something right.

Sokka did not sleep well that night, and awoke in a haze. His mind felt heavy and foggy, and he was still feeling dejected. Along his back there was remarkable warmth, and it was comforting against the biting cold of the early morning. Closing his eyes and vaguely aware of his actions, Sokka turned to the heat, and pressed his face into it, trying to thaw his chilled nose. With a sigh he attempted to fall back asleep, but the warmth began to stir with soft groans. Suddenly Sokka's eyes snapped open as he realized what the heat source was. Zuko's back. He attempted to roll away, but quickly became tangled in the blanket he had not realized was on him. Frustrated and still groggy, he laid in the tangled mess with his face in the dirt.

Zuko had been sound asleep until he noticed the soft prodding at his back that had been Sokka's nose. Unable to fully register what was happening at the time, he'd simply groaned grumpily and ignored it until he felt the sudden movement of the tribesman leaving his side. Startled out of his dream state Zuko leapt to his feet -heart pounding in his ears- and assumed a defensive stance; only to find the miserable boy rolled up in the blanket the prince had lent him.

"Oh," Zuko mumbled, a bit aggravated, but not feeling especially harsh after the incident last night. "Are you okay?"

Sokka said nothing, and began to smack his forehead on the ground. He felt too emotionally drained to be embarrassed, and didn't want to think about his attempts at snuggling one of the avatar's greatest enemies. (Even if he might have liked it a little.) At that thought he let out an angry moan and smacked his forehead in the dirt even harder.

Zuko, unsure of what to do, just watched the tribesman carefully. "So… Are you hungry?" he asked, unable to think of anything better to say.

At this question, Sokka perked up and tried to roll over on his back. Unfortunately the blanket pinned his arms tightly to his sides, and this greatly restricted his range of movement. The prince watched him struggle to escape the conundrum for over a minute before his anxiety got the best of him, and he finally snapped, "Do you want _help_, Sokka?"

The boy glared at him stubbornly, and said nothing. Knowing he wasn't actually going to ask, Zuko sighed and began tugging at the blanket as Sokka laid still as possible, embarrassment finally overcoming his numbness. As the prince attempted to undo the mess the tribesman had made of the blanket, his mind wandered to the night before and he wondered how Sokka was feeling now. The prince had a powerful urge to ask, but feared coming off as mushy and emotional. _But, _he argued with himself. _If I'm going to be marching across the continent with him, shouldn't I make sure he stays sane? _Zuko pondered over this thought for a moment, and decided.

"How are you feeling?" He mummered, keeping his face stoic.

Sokka was silent for a long time and Zuko almost wondered if he hadn't spoken loud enough. However, his words were heard- Sokka just didn't know how to respond. The tribesman was feeling better, after last night's breakdown, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. But knowing what had happened and who had caused it disturbed him to say the least. Sokka always knew firebending was dangerous, but he'd never seen it actually used on someone before. He'd previously never witnessed the intentional burning of another human being, and now that he had, it seemed to trigger a new discomfort. Not only was Zuko the enemy of the avatar, he was a dangerous and especially powerful firebender. Despite this, however, Sokka seemed to feel a strange sense of camaraderie with the prince of the Fire Nation. "How are _you _feeling?" He finally asked, realizing that, although he had to witness the terrifying experience, Zuko was the one who had to execute the violent attack. And the firebender didn't really seem like the monster Sokka originally thought he was. The guy was really just a socially awkward and especially short-tempered teenager.

The prince must not have expected the inquiry because he didn't respond until Sokka was freed from the blanket and sitting up.

"I'm just sorry to have upset you." The firebender said with reservation as he stood and began to pull the bundle of food from his bag and replace the blanket.

A wave of guilt washed through Sokka, but he felt sure that that wasn't the prince's intention. Suddenly, he realized that he really was feeling better. Although Zuko was kind of a stick in the mud, he truly regretted having to hurt the member of the Dai Li, and even though Sokka had no proof to support the idea, he really started to believe the firebender hadn't just created this elaborate plan to capture Aang. As Zuko handed Sokka a meager amount of bread with even less cheese, the tribesman let loose a grin and met the prince's eyes. Zuko frowned, a bit confused at the sudden giddiness of his travel companion, but didn't say anything.

Sokka inhaled his portion immediately, then said, a bit excited for a distraction, "So what next? I'm thinking we really need to find a way past the outer wall. The only way I really know of is the front gates, which you can only get through with earth bending."

Zuko nodded pensively as he chewed his meal slowly. He honestly hadn't thought that far ahead. One of his weaknesses. "Well, there are many farms in this area. Perhaps the locals know of another way."

Sokka nodded as he stood and brushed the crumbs from his shirt. "Alright. We should probably find a road." Zuko stood as well, still eating his serving.

"Okay," he glanced around them, looking for a path. Spotting a stretch that had clearly been tread numerous times, he slung the pack over his shoulder and began to walk, still munching.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay here's the next chapter! Just to clarify I'll update at least once a week. I try to make sure I have at least a few chapters written ahead of time just in case I need to go back and change anything, so don't worry!**

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The boys walked for a few hours in silence before they came upon a dirt road, and after following it west for most of the day, they finally found a small farm just off the side. Zuko looked back at Sokka questioningly as the sky began to take on a light orange hue. "What now?"

"Uh… Well," The two boys continued walking as they spoke, heading for the front door of the house. "I guess we… ask how to get out of here."

The prince sighed as they stepped up to the home. It was small, and nearly in shambles. Sokka hesitated and after glancing back at the firebender (who wasn't even paying attention) he knocked. There were light footsteps and the door slowly opened. In front of the tribesman stood a shorter girl, who was probably a few years younger than him. She had long brown hair pulled back into a low braid, and warm green eyes.

"Can I help you?" She scanned Sokka skeptically, probably noting his foreign garments and unusual features. Her eyes then darted over his shoulder and very faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"Yeah, we were wondering if you knew a way to get over the outer wall without having to go through the gates."

The girl nodded, not really listening, her gaze still focused over the tribesman's shoulder. He rolled his eyes and waved his hand in front of her face. "Helloooooo…"

The girl's attention snapped back to Sokka and she smiled. "Are you travelers?"

"Uh, yeah, so can you-" She stuck her hand out, and cut him off.

"I'm Chun. What are your names?"

"Sokka." He said with a frown. He jabbed a thumb back at the prince who finally took notice of the situation, and was approaching. "And this is Li." Zuko nodded, his face void of emotion or interest. Chun's cheeks flushed again and Sokka groaned inwardly. They'd never get anywhere with this stupid little crush.

"So do you need a place to sleep tonight?" Chun asked, clearly addressing Zuko.

The prince frowned as Sokka slapped his forehead, and then nodded. "That would be quite helpful." Chun's smile turned into a pleased smirk and she opened the door a little wider, gesturing for the two boys to enter. "I have some dinner left over, are you hungry?" Sokka perked up and nodded grinning. She waited for Zuko to respond, and then led the boys to the table in the far corner of the room, which was apparently the kitchen. They sat down, and Chun gave them each a bowl, which she filled with some potato soup. Sokka immediately began to devour the meal, getting more on his face than in his mouth.

"So… where is the rest of your family?" Zuko asked, taking a sip of his soup and watching the tribesman with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, my father is on his way to the inner wall to sell our excess crops." Chun said as she sat at the table with the two boys. Zuko nodded to acknowledge the statement as he turned his focus to his food.

Sokka had finished in seconds, and the prince a few minutes later. Chun watched the firebender out of the corner of her eye the entire time, and he noticed. It became increasingly uncomfortable for him and finally, in an attempt to escape her attention, he asked, "So, is there a place I could wash up?" The girl blinked a few times, another furious blush spreading across her face. Sokka rolled his eyes, feeling almost as uncomfortable as the prince.

"Th-there is." Chun stuttered. "There's a shower outback. You'll need someone to pump the water for you though." Zuko's eyes widened, and his cheeks turned pink. He was unsure of how to respond, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for water.

Sokka groaned. "I'll pump it." He interjected, trying to save his comrade some extreme embarrassment. Zuko gave him a thankful glance and began to stand.

"Oh," Chun said, looking a bit dissapointed. "I'll get you a towel."

After receiving the towel, Zuko and Sokka made their way outside and to the back of the house where they found a showerhead attached to the wall with a hose running from it to a pump just a few feet away. Zuko began to take off his shirt and the Water Tribe warrior watched absent-mindedly. He noticed how thin the prince was. He was clearly once extremely fit, but it seemed some long-term malnourishment ate away at the muscles, leaving him wiry and scrawny.

_Wow, he's pale. _Sokka thought to himself, admiring the prince's skin. It looked… soft. The tribesman's eyes swept over the prince's figure, noticing the way his collarbones cast a bit of a shadow, and the way his neck curved, and how the setting sun made his golden eyes looked like they were on fire. His gaze paused on the lips that were slightly parted.

Zuko was now preparing to remove his pants, but hesitated, noticing the tribesman's stare. He waited for the boy to avert his eyes, glaring back harshly. After a few agonizingly long seconds with no response, the prince decided it was time to say something.

"Can I _help_ you?" He snapped. He wasn't actually angry, just a bit uncomfortable.

At the sound of Zuko's voice, Sokka's eyes widened and he hastily turned away. He felt an unbearable heat seep across his face as he quickly strode to the water pump. He was sure Zuko noticed the red of his ears, but he was too shocked and confused to worry about that. He'd been staring at the firebender. _Why _exactly was that? Why did his mind wander to thoughts of how soft his skin must be, and how nicely his eyes shown in the setting sun? (He shuddered at how ridiculous this sounded.) …And why was he unable to tear his gaze from the prince's mouth? These questions were too difficult to process and Sokka couldn't produce any answers, anyway. He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and began to pump the water. In a minute or two he heard the liquid start to flow from the showerhead.

Zuko stuck his hand into the stream, testing the temperature. It was icy cold, and sent goose bumps across his skin. He glanced over his shoulder with a scowl to be sure that Sokka wasn't still ogling him. Satisfied that the boy would certainly not sneak any peaks, he stripped off his trousers and stepped naked into the water. He stood for a minute without moving, then turned around to watch the Water Tribesman pump. The prince was unsure of what had happened moments before. Sokka had certainly been staring, and with a rather vacant expression. But why? Zuko grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose, getting frustrated. After thinking it through as he scrubbed himself under stream of biting cold water, he decided it was probably just an accident. _People stare off into space all the time._ He told himself as he toweled off and got dressed. _Sokka's stare just happened to be aimed directly at my mouth._

* * *

They boys slept in the soft hay of Chun's barn that night. Zuko awoke twice to Sokka whimpering in his sleep, and guilt continued to poke at the back of his brain. He knew what the blue-eyed warrior was having nightmares about. There was nothing he could do though, so he did his best to avoid thinking about the situation, and they both slept until dawn was far-gone.

When the two teenagers awoke they gathered their things together and found Chun in the house washing the dishes. Sokka refused to meet Zuko's eyes as he recommended that the prince ask the farmer's daughter about a way past the wall. The firebender agreed, a little unsure of the tribesman's behavior, and addressed the girl flatly.

"Chun?" She glanced at him over her shoulder as she scrubbed at a pot, a small tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Would you happen to know a way past the outer wall, other than the main gates?" She looked down at the dish she was washing as she thought.

"Well… The only other way I can think of is this _really _old mine that was abandoned way before I was born."

"Where is it?" Sokka asked, piqued.

"If you keep following the road west, you'll reach a fork. If you go left, eventually it'll lead you right to the mine. But I really wouldn't recommend it. There are a ton of collapsed tunnels, and the ones that aren't are unstable at best… So… does that mean you're leaving now?"

Zuko nodded.

"Well then, you should take some food. You've got a few days travel before you reach a nearby town. If you make it through the mines anyway."

Sokka let out a sigh of relief. They'd been running extremely low on food. "I've got some money." He said digging in his pockets. He'd just remembered that he'd taken some from the gangs stash to buy something pretty at the market. It was only a few copper pieces, but it was better than nothing. Chun frowned, and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. We had a great yield this year, plenty of extra. Dad couldn't even bring as much as he wanted to the inner wall."

"Alright!" He said excited for some free food. Zuko shot him a glare, but the tribesman didn't catch it.

The firebender bowed deeply, and thanked Chun for all her hospitality, which sent her into a furious blush. Sokka did the same (minus the bow) and the girl left to fill up an extra pack with some food. A few minutes later she returned with a loaded pack, a full canteen, and a scroll in her hand.

"I remembered my father had gotten this for me on one of his visits to the inner wall." She spoke to Zuko, but avoided his eyes. "You can have it. It's just been gathering dust in my room anyway." The prince took the scroll and unrolled it to find an intricate map of the world. It was drawn with rich colors and there was an elaborate boarder of gold twisting around its edge. He was unsure of how to respond. The map was clearly expensive, and he was surprised she was so willing to give it away.

"Thank you." He whispered rolling it back up as Sokka slung the new pack over his shoulders. "I will not forget your kindness, Chun." The girl met his eyes, and was -once again- as red as a cherry.

"Well you should probably get going!" She said hurriedly, pushing the two boys out of the house. When they were outside she cried, "Please stop by if you're ever in the area!" And the door slammed shut. For a split second Sokka finally met Zuko's eyes, and the two shared an amused grin before the tribesman became startled and marched away in a hurry.

* * *

As they walked Sokka stayed a few steps behind the prince, still stuck on his actions the previous night. His attention to the detail of the fire bender's body left him confused, and when he thought about it, it felt like someone was trying to pull his stomach out through his mouth. In a good way. In a really, really uncomfortably weird kind of good way. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was stupid to worry. He obviously couldn't figure out what he was doing, so there was no point in dwelling. It's not like it was going to happen again.

Half way through the day, the two teenagers came to the fork Chun had told them about. They followed the path on the left as she suggested, which had clearly not been used for a very long time. It took them the rest of the day to make it to the mines, and they decided to camp outside of them for the night. The two had once again traveled in silence the entire day, but when Zuko laid on the ground that night, he thought about how the silence had felt different. Sokka was brooding throughout the walk, and it seemed like he sighed at least a million times. The awkward quiet produced a tense air around them, making the walk more exhausting than usual.

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**Hey guys, tell me how you feel about this chapter? I wanna know if you think Sokka's uh... _feelings_(?)are a little to sudden. :S**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Just wanted to thank everybody for their input, it's very much appreciated!**

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Sokka woke early the next morning in a cold sweat. He remembered little of the dream he'd been having, but he knew it must have been about the Dai Li agent. He did his best to shake it off, and decided to sit up. The tribesman glanced over at his companion, who was still sleeping soundly. He listened to the fire bender's rhythmic breathing for a minute, then decided it was time to distract himself. His arms felt heavy and his back ached as he pulled his pack into his lap. He hadn't really seen what Chun had given them, but whatever it was, it was _heavy_. He'd carried it the previous day without complaint because he was too busy with the weight on his mind to notice the weight on his back. The warrior sighed, trying not to remember his problem, and looked inside. There was a good amount of potatoes, a large sack of rice, some leeks, some leechi nuts, and a blanket that looked much thicker than the one Zuko had been letting him borrow. It was a comforting amount of food (even if there was a significant lack of meat), but the weight was ridiculous. Chun had obviously never traveled.

After thinking about it for a minute, he decided Zuko should carry some, and reached for the prince's pack. Sokka emptied it out on the ground, placed the potatoes and leeks inside, gathered up the prince's other things (which only consisted of the blanket, a bit of bread, and the map), and placed them in the pack as well. When he was done he surveyed the area, unsure of what to do with himself while the prince slept. Eventually Sokka pulled the map back out of the pack to get a better look at it, and maybe make some real plans as to what their route should be.

When he unrolled the scroll the tribesman was truly surprised at how beautiful the map was, and as he looked closer he couldn't believe the detail. The scroll was dotted with villages and cities all over the world, as well as the names of mountain ranges, forests and seas. After a few minutes of examination, he realized the route they were originally going to take was definitely not going to be easy. Going south would take the two back to the Si Wong Desert and Sokka did _not_ want a repeat of that. He stared at the map for a few more minutes as he thought about the harsh times in the desert, and it reminded him of all the trouble the firebender had caused. He shot a quick look at the prince, when sudden concern swept over his mind. Why exactly did he trust this guy? After all the crap he'd put Sokka and his friends through… Sokka scowled and looked back at the map, looking for an alternate rout. "Clearly the this guy has little foresight." He grumbled to himself, still eyeballing the desert. He glanced at the prince again and smiled, amused. Even in his sleep Zuko had a slight scowl.

The boy's arm was covering most of his scar, and Sokka could almost imagine what the firebender would look like without the leathery, red skin. Although, when he thought about it, the scar was part of what made the prince so attrac- WHOA. Sokka let out a bit of a yelp, shocked at the path his thoughts had begun to take. Prince Zuko jumped at the sound, and was quickly on his feet.

The tribesman's attention shot back at the map as he mentally berated himself. _Don't blush idiot, you probably look stupid enough squeaking like a little girl! Gah, that was _so_ not manly… What am I getting myself into?_

After realizing that there was no danger present, the firebender sighed and sat next to Sokka, glancing down at the scroll. He scowled.

"You went through my pack?"

Sokka's eyebrows rose, and he nodded. "I, uh, I was just… distributing the weight." He muttered looking away from the prince's rather enticing glare as he waved a hand at the filled bags.

Zuko was silent for a moment, and then nodded. "Fair, I suppose."

The tribesman did his best to hide his relief and poked a finger at the map. "So I was thinking, south probably isn't the best course. I don't know about you, but I don't have very fond memories of the Si Wong." He shuddered, remembering the cactus juice. The prince nodded in agreement, leaning forward to get a better look. Sokka continued. "I was looking, and I think the best route might be this way." He traced a finger northwest, avoiding crossing Serpent's Pass again, and stopping at the tip of the peninsula where a village called Makapuu was located. "I figure from here, we could take a ferry or something between each of these smaller islands, and then eventually we'll end up on the main land. From there we can just walk on to the Capital."

Zuko sat back staring at the map pensively and Sokka watched, unable to determine what the prince may be thinking. After a minute the firebender nodded. "It's not the fastest route… But I think you're right. This seems like it will save us from much more dangerous paths."

Sokka gave an audible sigh of relief, and smiled. "Cool. So, about the mine."

Zuko was glad to see the warrior smiling after the withdrawn attitude he'd been displaying the day before, and missed what Sokka said. The tribesman sat in silence, confused by the lack of a response, and a bit enamored (although he didn't know why) by the small smile playing at the firebender's mouth. "U-uh," he stuttered. "S-so do you… want to go?"

Zuko's met Sokka's eyes unresponsively and stood, the gentle smile still barely lingering. "…Yeah."

Sokka cleared his throat and stood as well, annoyed with how flustered he felt. He gathered up his pack and watched Zuko do the same, slinging his twin swords and the canteen over his shoulder as well.

The tribesman felt nervous as they entered the dark, stuffy hole in the ground. After only a moment the two were enveloped in black and Sokka quickly began to panic. "H-hey!" He began to walk a little quicker, sensing that Zuko was ahead, but before he knew it his face was making violent contact with cold stone and mud. Deciding he'd given up on life, the warrior fell onto his butt and stayed there, clasping his nose and wallowing in self-pity.

Zuko heard the commotion and inched toward the sound, holding his hand out in front of him. "Sokka?" He called, hoping for a response to lead him to the tribesman.

"Wow." The warrior answered, his voice muffled and dripping with sarcasm. "Too bad we don't have any _fire _to light the way." The prince smacked his forehead, annoyed at his own stupidity, and snapped his fingers to produce a flame that hovered above his hand. Sokka was a few feet away, lying on his back with his hands covering his face.

The prince was confused to say the least, and still a bit annoyed with the boy's attitude. It's not like firebending had been an option since he arrived in the Ba Sing Se anyway.

"What are you doing?" He asked, cross.

Sokka's hands dropped to his sides as he pushed himself up. "Oh, ya know, just hangin' out." He snapped, wiping his nose down his arm. Zuko noticed a dark tinge left behind.

"Is your nose bleeding?"

Sokka glanced down at his arm, not even a little bit surprised. "Yup. Looks like it. The world hates me."

Blood and mud was smeared across his face and the poor guy looked like a train wreck. The prince sighed and the flames went out for a moment as he pulled the canteen Chun had given them over his shoulder, handing it to Sokka. The flames flickered back as the canteen was taken. "You should wash that off."

The tribesman began to dump some of the liquid into his hand, when he realized it was definitely _not_ water. "This is… _Rum!_" He exclaimed, deciding to use it to scrub the grime and blood from his face anyway.

Zuko's eyebrows rose and he watched silent, unable to think of a reply that was socially appropriate. Should he be excited? Appalled? Whatever. He decided to just not respond.

Sokka tried to ignore the ache in his nose as he slung the canteen over his shoulder and the two began to walk again, this time able to see. The tribesman (who was still considerably upset) looked around as they walked and noted that, not only were the walls muddy, the ground was slick with it too. Sokka let out a small whine as he gingerly touched his back, hating himself for not noticing sooner.

Yup.

_Covered _in mud- even the pack. He heard Zuko laugh quietly and flushed. Maybe it was a good thing they had some alcohol- although, considering it was all he could smell, he might not be able to stomach it.

"I wasn't going to say anything." The prince mummered. "It seemed like you already had it bad enough."

The tribesman sighed, and suddenly his foot slipped out from under him. Flailing helplessly he let out a screech and grabbed at the firebender, pulling them both down. Zuko landed next to Sokka, both on their backs, and the light went out. The temperature in the tunnel began to rise exponentially, and the tribesman looked over at the prince, terrified as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Zuko groaned angrily and growled things like "stupid peasant" and "water tribe idiot." Sokka heard him snap his fingers and light flooded through the tunnel. Zuko turned to glare the warrior, mud coating the side of his head. His stare was piercing, but unexpectedly Sokka found it ridiculously amusing and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Zuko was shocked into silence by the warrior's response to his threatening stare, and when Sokka looked at the prince between bursts of hilarity, his bright blue eyes sparkled in the firelight. The firebender watched, and was caught off guard when the laughter suddenly seemed extremely contagious.

They lay there in high spirits for a few minutes after the fit died out, and the prince turned to the warrior. He felt weird; he was both oddly relieved, embarrassed, and angry at the same time. It had been at least three years since he'd been able to laugh like that, and it was vaguely unsettling that this peasant from the Southern Water Tribe had enticed it. Normally he would have buried the urge to laugh - and successfully, too… But this time he hadn't even thought to try. It seemed perhaps Sokka - who wore his heart on his sleeve - was rubbing off on the prince.

"…Hey," He mumbled, feeling awkward and wanting to think of something else. "What was bothering you earlier?" He suspected that perhaps the tribesman was so sullen because he missed his sister and the avatar.

Sokka glanced at the prince out of the corner of his eye, nervous. It wasn't like he could just say 'oh yeah, I was just a bit concerned with my sanity because I caught myself checking you out and now I cant stop thinking about it.'

His eyes widened (which left Zuko puzzled), as he realized what the thought that just went through his mind _meant_. He hadn't been able to comprehend what his stares implied until now, and he was too stunned to respond. He didn't _like _the prince, did he? He wasn't… what? _Gay? _ He liked _girls!_ Like Suki! And Yue! But… Why was he so enamored by the firebender? Why had he been weirdly drawn in by the prince's metallic-gold eyes and soft skin? _What_ exactly was so special about Prince Zuko? He _really _needed to sort this out before it drove him insane.

As these questions ran through the warrior's mind, Zuko was perplexed by the terrified silence Sokka was frozen in. "Are you alright…?" He asked, a little annoyed and not expecting this reaction.

Sokka nodded stiffly, spraying specks of mud around with his wolf's tail, causing the prince to flinch. "I-I," his voice cracked a bit. "I just miss everyone, that's all!"

Zuko nodded as well, his suspicions seemingly confirmed. He missed his uncle more than he had expected, but was not keen on sharing these feelings, so he just said, "Yes."

Sokka jumped up from the mud they were laying in, too distracted to be upset that everything was coated in even more muck. "Let's get outta here."

* * *

As the two continued through the mine they passed numerous smaller tunnels that split from the main one they were wandering through, and they did their best to ignore the crusting mud that coated everything. Every once in while they'd pass some crumbing stone carts, and the deeper they went the more claustrophobic Sokka began to feel. After a half an hour or so they came to a section where the main path branched off into four smaller ones. They stood in silence until the prince broke it.

"Hold your breath." He said apathetically as he stood in front of the tunnel on the left. He watched the flame hovering over his palm, and as he moved to the next Sokka quickly took another breath. They repeated the process once more as Zuko moved to the last tunnel.

"Okay," he said, walking back to the warrior. "I think we should take the left. It seemed to have the most airflow." Sokka shrugged, and followed as Zuko walked away.

After his realization earlier, he felt kind of helpless. He didn't understand the feelings blossoming, and even if he could comprehend why he was having them for a boy, this was Zuko. And even if he wanted him to, _Zuko_ -the enemy of his best friend and a member of the antagonistic nation that was trying to rule the world- would certainly never reciprocate them. The worst thing was, the tribesman would have to spend who-knows-how-long traipsing across the world with him -_alone._ He needed to quell these feelings fast, but how? Sokka watched the prince as he walked (or more like stalked) through the tunnel and felt like he was repeatedly being punched in the gut. And then the prince glanced back at him. It was brief and indifferent, but Sokka couldn't help but notice those eyes again. He quickly pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to suppress any mushy thoughts from forming.

"Did you hear that?" Zuko whispered, putting out the flames he was controlling and grabbing Sokka by the wrist.

The Water Tribe warrior did his best to ignore the unusual warmth of the firebender's hand and listened intently. Straining his ears, he did hear something. It was faint, but it was definitely there… A strange sloshing sound. Sokka whispered a confirmation.

The prince tightened his grip on the tribesman's wrist and began to drag him in the direction they were headed before. Letting go, he gave Sokka's shirt a tug to signal him to follow, and continued forward. The prince moved silently, and the sloshing behind them increased speed and sound.

Suddenly Zuko lit the cave again and yelled, "Sokka- run!" Adrenaline rushed through the warrior's veins as they both began to sprint. He knew what was behind them- the Dai Li.

They ran down the tunnel for only a minute before the two agents caught up. Zuko slid to a smooth halt in the mud, turning to face the enemy as he whipped out his twin blades. Sokka attempted to do the same, grabbing the wall to steady himself as he stopped. He drew his jawbone dagger in his left, and held his boomerang in the right. One rather tall Dai Li agent approached, sliding across the ceiling with his stone shoes, while the other -a woman- did the same on the ground.

"You take her!" Zuko shouted. "I've got the other!" Sokka nodded and charged the agent before she had a chance to stop and execute an attack.

The fight was difficult, and Sokka worried about how his companion was holding up because somehow the prince was managing to keep the area lit _and_ fight at the same time. The agents were both powerful, but Sokka was unsure of how long the tunnel would hold up as he dodged massive pieces of stone. The agents seemed unaware of the low rumbling above them as they continued to assault the two teenagers with their earthbending.

Suddenly the agents slid back to back, and began to move simultaneously. Sokka began to run in the direction of the supposed exit, grabbing Zuko by the shirt as he went. The Dai Li stomped powerfully, and a vast piece of the ceiling detached itself. Just as the agents sent it flying, mass amounts of earth and rock plummeted to the ground, crushing them. Zuko wrenched himself from Sokka's grip and the flames were extinguished for just a moment as he dove at the boy's feet, knocking him to the ground just as the Dai Li's final assault sailed over their heads. Before the tribesman knew it, the prince was up and dragging him down the path.

"The tunnel's collapsing!" The firebender shouted. "RUN!"

The adrenaline was almost too much as Zuko let go, relighting their path. Sokka barreled down muddy hole, and when he came to the boulder the agents had thrown he almost screeched.

It nearly filled the passage, leaving only a small gap at the top.

The boys slid to a halt, and Zuko motioned for Sokka to follow as he began to gracefully scale the rock. Sokka scrambled up behind him and fearfully noted how dull the fire surrounding the prince's hands were.

Zuko ripped his pack off his shoulders and threw it to the other side, and Sokka quickly did the same. They pressed their bodies between the stone ceiling and the boulder, squirming desperately as the tunnel closed in closer and closer behind them.

The Prince was free first, and he extinguished his flames as he gripped Sokka's wrists and yanked him through. Sokka scrambled to gather his pack, and as soon as Zuko had done the same, a dull glow from his hands reappeared and the two were off. Ahead was a faint glow of the exit and the tribesman thanked the spirits that they'd chosen the right path. The tunnel behind them was collapsing with increased speed, and just as they reached the exit it crumbled completely.

Zuko staggered as he stopped a few yards away, Sokka at his heels. The prince dropped his pack and lay down on his back, his breathing erratic as he closed his eyes. The tribesman quickly kneeled next to him, terrified. "Zuko?" He whispered. The firebender's eyes opened, half lidded and Sokka's stomach did so many flips, he thought he'd vomit.

"I'm alright." Zuko whispered, closing his eyes again, and pushing the warrior away, annoyed and still feeling slightly claustrophobic. "I just… I need to rest. That was close."

Sokka nodded and sat a few feet away, giving Zuko some space. He knew they couldn't stay long; they were still too close to Ba Sing Se. "Are you thirsty?" He asked pulling the canteen from his shoulders, and then stopping when he remembered it wasn't water. As he did so, he noticed that absolutely everything was covered in dried mud. He attempted to brush some off to no avail, and hoped there was a water source nearby.

Zuko didn't respond to the question, and stood, picking up his things. He looked around and noticed that there was little cover for them to travel under; Plains stretched as far as he could see.

"Let's get going." He mummered. "We need to get away from this stupid city."


	7. Chapter 7

The two teenagers stopped at the end of the day when they found a small creek trickling into the edge of a dark forest. Sokka let out a squeal of delight when he spotted it and dropped his pack, stripping off his clothes as he raced to the water. Zuko watched uncomfortably as the warrior stopped at his underwear and dipped a toe tentatively into the stream. They were both still covered in the dried mud, and the sight of something to clean themselves off with was indeed exciting, but the prince saw no reason to rush. He slowly peeled his crusty clothes off, extremely unhappy that he'd have to be so exposed for so long. Carrying them to the side of the creek, he found Sokka was crouched, pouting and staring at the water.

"What's your problem?" The prince questioned indifferently as he began to rinse the clothes.

Sokka frowned deeply and sat back on his butt, gingerly dipping his toes in the frigid current again. "It's soooooo cold!" He whined, yanking them back out.

A soft grunt was Zuko's only response. When he finished he glanced up the creek, searching for a place where the water pooled. It looked like they may have been in luck further down and the prince stood to gather his things. He certainly didn't want to bathe in cold water either.

Sokka watched, sullen, until Zuko apathetically motioned for him to follow and then began to head into the forest. The warrior scrambled to gather his things and ran after.

The two walked side-by-side down the stream for a little while, both more than uncomfortable about still being in their underwear. Sokka couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the prince's sharp hipbones, and when he became aware of the dimples on the firebender's lower back it was all he could do to quell the inappropriate thoughts pouring into his conscience. He decided it best to walk in front of the prince before his body decided to reveal his mixed feelings, and he hurried ahead. Zuko noticed the warrior rush past him with an angry blush, and wondered what his problem was. He thought about asking, but decided he didn't really care that much, and said nothing, still taking note of the unusual behavior.

The two travelers walked until they came to a place in the stream that was round, about knee deep, and had only a little current. Zuko carefully hung his wet clothes on a nearby branch, placed his things on the shore, and stepped in slowly. He sat with closed eyes and took a deep breath. Sokka watched, puzzled, until the water within a five-foot radius of the prince began to steam. Zuko opened his eyes and waved an uninterested hand for the warrior to join him. "Is this warm enough for you princess?"

Sokka ignored the comment and dropped everything but his clothes as he gleefully ran in, splashing everywhere. Paying no attention to the threats Zuko was hissing, the warrior pulled his hair down and lay back in the water, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth. "Hey," he said, interrupting the firebender's angry mumbles. "Thanks. This is pretty awesome."

The prince sighed and Sokka could practically hear him roll his eyes.

The two sat in their usual silence for a while, both distracted with trying to rub the mud out of their hair and off their bodies. When Zuko was finished he watched Sokka attempt to scrub the stains from his light blue shirt. Unfortunately it seemed that the brown smears were there to say and Sokka threw them on the shore, exasperated. He sat for a time, staring into the cloudy water with a strangely gloomy expression. Zuko was wondering why someone would get so upset over a shirt, when suddenly Sokka looked up at him skeptically. The firebender waited for the question that seemed to be sitting on the tip of the warriors tongue, but when he didn't speak Zuko became impatient.

"_What._"

Sokka watched him for a moment more, and then said slowly, "I still don't understand why you're _not _using this situation as a way to capture Aang."

Zuko was taken aback at first, but anger overtook him and -as always- the air and stream surrounding them began to rise in temperature. "Listen," He huffed as Sokka attempted to subtly move to cooler waters. "I know I was an asshole… But I'm done with all of that." His mood quickly flipped from angry to brooding and he leaned back in the warm water, resting on his elbows and saying no more. Sokka watched as the prince clearly got stuck in deep thought, and a mass of mixed feelings twisted in the pit of his stomach. He should really accept that answer as a lie. It would make his life easier, and the tribesman would be able to convince himself to hate the prince. He wouldn't have to worry about all of the ridiculous and uncontrollable feelings if he could just _hate_ the jerk.

"Well, _why _exactly are you 'done with all that'?" The warrior asked incredulously, but not actually wanting to be convinced. "I mean, you were looking for the avatar before he even reappeared! Why give up now?"

Anger flashed through Zuko's eyes at the last comment but it took him a while to respond. He wasn't sure if what he was about to say was incriminating or reassuring. "I didn't give up, I moved on… When I first found your bison I,uh… Well, planned to use him to lure the avatar into a trap, but…" the prince hesitated, waving his fingers through the water as darkness began to fully settle around them. He was feeling frustrated with himself for missing his uncle so sorely, and remembering the man's words wracked him with a nagging guilt. However, he refused to let his emotions show, and he continued. "Uncle stopped me. He said some things… He told me I needed to think about what I wanted from life, and why… And I did."

Sokka look intently at Zuko as he spoke, unaware of the emotions running through the firebender's mind. "So… What exactly was that?"

Zuko glanced at Sokka, not understanding the question.

The warrior sighed and restated. "What did you decide you want from life?"

The prince sat quietly, debating if he was comfortable enough to share such information. "…I haven't. All I know is I no longer want to be controlled by my father."

Sokka knew this was pretty personal stuff and decided he didn't want to push his luck. Not to mention, the more he listened to the prince, the harder he found it to hate him. He sat, pondering in silence for a while.

Who said these feelings were bad anyway? Why couldn't he like Zuko (other than the fact that he was the son of the world's greatest enemy)? He'd never met anyone in the Water Tribes with a similar situation, but it wasn't that big a deal… Right? He squeezed his eyes shut and squirmed in discomfort. Who was he kidding? It was a big deal. If it weren't a big deal he wouldn't be worrying about it. But… What was he supposed to do? You can't just turn off emotions. You can't just decide to stop feeling something and move on... He'd have to accept that he had feelings for The Prince of the Fire Nation, and that no one could ever find out. These stupid feelings would probably pass eventually, and he could move on with his life, maybe even find Suki again.

Sokka looked at Zuko, still feeling a bit grim. Defeated. Liking the firebender was stressful as fuck. "Alright. I guess I believe you." He said as he flopping his tangled, wet hair to the side. "C'mon! Lets loosen up!" Zuko stood as well and followed the warrior onto the shore. "Loosen up?" He grumbled as he gathered some branches to start a fire and wondered at the bizarre behavior his companion had exhibiting the past couple days. All the blushing and moodiness was unsettling. Maybe the he was getting sick or something.

"Yeah. _Loosen up._" Sokka glanced over his shoulder as he hung his wet clothes next to Zuko's. "I'm not really surprised you've never heard of the concept."

The prince ignored the comment as he started a small fire and settled next to it, covering himself with his blanket. The tribesman grabbed the blanket Chun had given them and settled in next to the prince, unscrewing the lid to the canteen.

It didn't take much at all to convince Zuko to drink. By the time they were half way through the rather large canteen, both boys had lost any discomfort about running around in their underwear, and Sokka was (barely) on his feet, attempting to show the prince how to properly throw a boomerang.

"Ya see," he slurred, holding the weapon up. "Ya gotta just flick, ya know? Just-Just flick yer wrist and –bam! It comes back. It _always… _comes back." Zuko was standing next to the warrior nodding and listening, truly fascinated. With the combination of his intoxication and the prince's attention, Sokka was unable to resist the urge to show off, and he hurled the boomerang into the darkness. He placed his hands on his hips and turned to the firebender, chest swelling. The warrior noticed that, rather than looking dazzled (like he'd hoped), the prince looked frightened. Before Sokka had the chance to ask why, he was on the ground howling in pain and gripping the back of his head.

Zuko crouched next to him, muttering, "Stop screaming ya big frickin' baby… Let me see." The disgruntled warrior rolled onto his stomach, still teary-eyed, and did his best to ignore the firebender's soft touch as his hot fingertips brushed the mess of brown hair away from the wound. "Oh dear," Zuko said slowly, trying to process what he was seeing. After a moment he realized it wasn't actually that bad. "Well, you… definitely got hit."

"Oh, _thanks,_" Sokka groaned, unsure if his mind was hazy because of the blow or the rum. "I… had no idea."

The sarcasm flew over the prince's head while he examined the wound, swaying as he tried to keep balance. There was a rather large lump forming, and in the middle of it was a shallow gash that barely bled. "Well. I think you're probably going to die." He stated seriously as he went to stand, but found it impossible to maintain equilibrium. He decided to sit next to Sokka instead.

The tribesman quickly rolled onto his back and found the firebender was leaning over him looking neutral. Sokka did his best to hide the terror he held after hearing the statement. "I wha-! …Oh." He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. "That was a joke."

Zuko released goofy grin and a sharp laugh that left Sokka's cluttered mind in a momentary daze. The warrior was enjoying the firebender's unusually relaxed demeanor and gave the prince a smile in return. "…Ya know," he said after Zuko quieted down. "You're a pretty cool guy..." Well, Sokka thought he was more than cool. _What would be a more accurate word?_ His mind felt muddled as he tried to find an appropriate adjective. _Awesome? Yes, but no. Cute…?_ _Uh, no. Zuko's not cute, if anything he's… hot. _In his current state of mind, Sokka felt more than comfortable with the thought and looked up at the prince, who was still leaning over him. He noticed the flush left on the firebender's pale cheek from the rum, and the way Zuko was biting his lip nervously. He felt a sharp heat seeping uncomfortably lower than the pit in his stomach. _Oh no. _He squirmed a bit, trying to quell his body's involuntary reaction.

The prince was truly surprised by the warrior's announcement and if he were sober he probably would have just shrugged. But, unfortunately, this was not the case, and he became uncomfortable. Zuko wasn't used to such statements, and his poor social skills showed when he sat embarrassed and unable to formulate a proper response. "Oh. I, uh… w-well…" He stuttered, rubbing his face in an attempt to focus. He was feeling kind of hazy and disoriented. Finally he just grumbled, "Yeah."

Sokka watched the prince, feeling much too charmed by his awkwardness as he stumbled his way through a reply. In this state of mind the warrior was finding it extremely difficult to be even neutral towards him, and after that little moment he felt like he was about to cause a very awkward situation. _This is …bad. _He thought to himself, slowly. A frown worked its way onto his face. _I should probably move before I do something I know I'll regret. _The warrior suddenly sat up and crawled towards the campfire, leaving Zuko and his double-crossing boomerang behind.

Zuko watched the tribesman crawl away, feeling a bit hurt and annoyed. He didn't know he was so socially inept he could scare people away. And as that thought passed, he became even more annoyed. Since when did he care about that stuff, anyway? Why did he need any kind of validation from this Water Tribe peasant? The prince rubbed his face again and glanced over at Sokka, who was watching him. The warrior's already rosy face burned even brighter and his eyes snapped to the campfire.

"What?" Zuko asked, feeling a bit offended. His emotions felt like they were running more rampant than usual, but he didn't care.

Sokka looked back at him nervously and began fidget. "U-uh, 'what' what?" He grumbled, unable to hold eye contact. "I was just uh… I don't know…" He was finding it hard to formulate any intelligent responses and cursed himself for drinking so much.

"You were staring at me." The prince growled. He already had a bad temper, and with the addition of alcohol, he could hardly keep from yelling.

The warrior let out a small, terrified squeak and nodded.

"_Why._" Zuko demanded. He was positive Sokka had been criticizing him, or mocking him, or _something_.

"W-Why...? Why. Hm… _Why._ Wow, that's a really g-great question, I, uh…" Sokka raked his mind for an appropriate answer, and spotted some leftover mud on the firebender's face. "Ah! Ya have something on your face! Ha…" He laughed nervously pointing a finger at the prince.

Zuko's eyes widened, and the campfire nearly exploded next to the tribesman. "Whoa! Hey!" He screeched, leaping up and stumbling away with difficulty. "Why are you so- OH!" Comprehension grasped the tribesman when he saw wounded look in Zuko's expression. "No, no!" Sokka said quickly, tottering towards the hurt firebender. He slumped to the ground a foot or so away. "Hey… I wasn't talking about your scar," He said quietly, hoping the hush in his voice would calm the prince down. "Look."

Sokka reached towards Zuko's face, pushing the possibility of getting flame broiled to the back of his mind when the prince flinched. He swiped the bit of mud off the curve of the prince's jaw with his thumb and held it up for him to see. The firebender stared at the smudge suspiciously for a moment, then sighed.

"Oh." He grumbled, eyes downcast. "Well …Sorry. I guess."

Sokka let out a heavy sigh of relief and put a hand on Zuko's bare shoulder. "It's alright." He stated, smiling softly. "Forgive and forget and all that crap." He pulled his hand away, uncomfortable with the difficulty he was having trying to resist touching the prince's soft skin again.

Zuko nodded, his face neutral. "You're a good friend, Sokka." The neutrality vanished and quickly became embarrassment when the prince realized what he said. He hadn't had a friend since… Well, probably ever. And who was he to assume he and the tribesman actually _were_ friends? He opened his mouth to try and retract the statement, but Sokka cut him off, beaming.

"Thanks! You're pretty great yourself!"

The warrior was feeling bold. He couldn't tell if it was the intoxication or just some weird high because of Zuko's attention- but at the moment he didn't care. He was just glad the firebender actually seemed to have some kind of positive feelings for him. Sokka stood shakily and tottered back to the campfire, this time motioning for the prince to follow. When the firebender sat next to him, the tribesman held his hand out for a handshake.

"Friends?" He asked blissfully.

Zuko looked uncertain for a moment, and then grasped Sokka's hand. He was nervous about such a declaration and still a little conflicted because of their past, but something about this felt right and the prince couldn't deny that.

"Yes. Friends."

* * *

**Alright, alright, thanks for reading and tell me what ya think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Whelp. I dont actually know how i got this out so quick, but here it is.  
****Also thanks FireChildSlytherin5 and those of you who take the time to tell me what you think, it's much  
appreciated.** (●´∀｀●)  
A**nd where do you guys think this whole thing is gonna go? I have a few ideas, but I haven't really decided, so I wanna know what you guys think! **( ´ ▽ ` )

* * *

When Sokka opened his eyes the next morning the first thing he noted was the awful taste in his mouth. The second was the headache, and the third was the nausea. He closed his eyes and pulled his blanket over his head to shut out the painful sunlight. He tried to go back to sleep, but his mind was racing through the scenes of the dream he'd just woken from. It was of the night he'd spent with Suki on Serpent's Pass and it reminded him of how much he had liked her. He sighed, and rubbed his eyes gently, still shrouded in the comforting darkness that the blanket brought.

Had.

He _had_ liked her.

He thought.

The warrior was unsure about what exactly had changed to make him lose those feelings… but Zuko… He sighed quietly and wondered if maybe he had just been settling. There weren't any kids his age back home –especially girls, and he wondered if he'd only been chasing after the first females that happened to show interest in him. He truly cared about Yue and Suki, they were both amazing people –strong, determined, beautiful– but something here was different. After the tidal wave of emotions last night, he found that he didn't _just_ find Zuko attractive, he _really_ found him attractive. Like, the 'I want to tackle you right here, right now and you-know-what' kind of attractive. He'd decided to accept that he liked the prince, but wanting these more physical displays of affection downright scared him, and with his past relationships, he had to admit it was an unfamiliar feeling. A sudden wave of nausea hit him and he threw the blanket off, leaping blindly away. He only managed to make it a few feet from the camp before he heaved up plenty of liquid. He stood bent over his sick for a while, feeling too weak and miserable to move.

Zuko heard the commotion and sat up too quickly, becoming dizzy and disoriented. He let out an audible groan and slowly lay back on the ground. All that rum, and they hadn't had a single bite to eat since before they entered the mine. He rubbed his eyes and grumbled, "Sokka? You puked, didn't you." He wasn't really asking. He knew the warrior had puked because vomit was all he could smell, and the sound of his heaving was what woke him. Really, the statement was the only way he knew how to ask if the poor guy was okay.

Zuko heard Sokka approach, and felt him carefully lay on the ground next to him.

"I totally puked."

* * *

It took the two boys forever to get going that morning. They followed the creek back out of the forest and found a road heading west. Sokka noted to himself that they were passing the entrance to Serpent's Pass, and he wondered if that was why his subconscious had dredged up the memory of Suki.

They marched throughout the day, but much to Zuko's displeasure, it was not in silence. Sokka's hangover did little to hinder his excitement about the new-formed friendship, and he chattered incessantly. What exactly he was talking about, Zuko didn't know. All he could focus on was the blinding headache and where he was putting his feet.

After a while the warrior became quiet again, and he slowed his pace, keeping behind the prince. Zuko glanced back at him, wondering why he was sulking yet again, and found Sokka staring ahead with empty eyes. The prince turned forward, as he recognized that look. He hated feeling guilty for what he'd done to the Dai Li agent, but it was his only choice. And there was nothing he could do to change what the tribesman had experienced, so why did he feel so bad? He did the right thing. He saved them both, but… That look… Frustration roiled in the depths of Zuko's stomach. He couldn't understand why he felt so bad. Why did he hate how much he had hurt the warrior? Why did it make him feel hollow when he saw that awful dullness in Sokka's eyes? _Because he's your friend, you idiot. _He told himself. _Of course you'd feel bad for hurting him. _And that made sense. Zuko didn't have any prior experience to compare to, but if you were friends with somebody _obviously_ you wouldn't want to hurt them, right? He mulled it over, but when he felt strangely dissatisfied with that answer he decided it was time to drop it.

While these thoughts plagued the prince, Sokka was being dragged down by his own musings. Once again he'd caught himself looking at Zuko inappropriately. At first he was mad. Just mad that he couldn't help himself, and mad that he felt like he _had_ to. But then, after he fell behind the prince, he began to feel confused and almost… empty. He was lost. The Water Tribe warrior had never been one to hold back his emotions, and that was how he liked it. But this was so big and… scary. These were emotions he _had_ to hold back. He had no idea what would happen if he didn't, but it wouldn't be good.

All the pent up feelings were starting to tear at his insides, trying to escape their confines, and Sokka had no idea how to deal with it. They were eating him up from the inside out, and he didn't know how long he'd last. How long had it even been? Like three days? Four? He began to feel pathetic and berate himself for being such a drama queen, but before he could continue to ruminate Zuko interrupted.

"Hey," he pointed down the road. "I think I see a village up ahead."

Sokka focused his eye's, coaxing them from their vacant stare. He nodded, spotting the houses about a mile away, but didn't speak.

Zuko raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, feeling this foul mood Sokka was in was none of his business. The two walked the rest of the way in the same heavy silence, and Zuko wondered the entire mile what had triggered Sokka to withdraw. He was chatting without a care and then suddenly he was just… gone.

When they arrived, they found the village to be rather busy considering it was nearly dark. Sokka followed Zuko silently when he said he wanted to sleep at an inn that he saw at the edge of town. It was nearly in shambles, but there were vibrant lights and lots of sounds wafting from it, so they ventured in. There were a few tables squished into a small room, and quite a few burly men squished at said tables. They were all laughing and swinging around draughts of some kind of alcohol. Along the left wall was a small counter with a few barrels and mugs behind it. Walking around the group of men with a tray in her hand was a rather pretty girl, around the boys' age. She was tall and curvy, and walked with a commanding air about her. Her long dark hair swung freely around her shoulders as she turned and noticed Sokka and Zuko standing in the doorway. The waitress gave them a stunning smile. Her warm brown eyes glowed as she sauntered up to them. "Hi! Can I help you?" She chirped pleasantly.

Zuko nodded. "How much would a room for two cost?"

The waitress's scanned the prince and turned to Sokka. She caught his eye, and gave him a wink. "Uhm…" She said slowly, smirking and turning her attention back to the prince. "How does four copper pieces sound?" The warrior ignored the waitress as Zuko rummaged in his pants pockets for a moment, pulling out small, damp, and rather musty-smelling pouch. The firebender reached in it, feeling self-conscious; unfortunately he'd forgotten to take it out of his pocket before he washed his clothes. "That sounds reasonable." He muttered.

The girl accepted the copper pieces Zuko handed her, and shot them both another smile. "Follow me!" She led them past the crowd of men and up some stairs at the back of the room. At the top of the flight there was a long hall that extended to their left. It was lined with doors, and forked at the end. The waitress led them half way down the and opened one of the rooms, holding her arms out to direct them in. "Well, here it is."

Zuko nodded and gave her a quiet thanks as he entered. As Sokka passed, the waitress gave him another wink and a sly smile, provoking an embarrassed blush and an unsure thank you as the warrior hurried in, shutting the door behind him. The room was empty, save for a large futon in the center of the floor. "Just what I need right now." He grumbled to himself, trying to forget the interaction as he and Zuko dropped their packs and climbed onto the mat. Sokka kept himself as far as possible from the prince, who didn't seem nearly as uncomfortable.

Within a few minutes, Zuko's breathing slowed, and he was asleep. Sokka lay in the dark room, wondering why the prince wasted his money. They may as well have been sleeping on the ground. He tossed and turned for a few minutes, unable to get comfortable, and finally decided he'd go have a look around the rest of the building.

The warrior stood to exit the room, but paused, staring at the sleeping prince pensively. He sighed, not wanting to deal with the emotions for a while, and silently opened the door. As he went to step out he collided with something warm and soft, and found himself on the floor, and on top of the waitress. He jumped up nervously, peering in the room to see if he'd woken the light sleeper. Luckily, the prince must have really been hit hard by the hangover because he was still out. Sokka sighed, relieved, and carefully closed the door behind him.

He turned to leave, but realized the girl was still on the floor. She stared up at him with a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. "I came to ask if you needed anything else… Well? Aren't you going to help me up?"

Sokka made a face and held out his hand. "Sure, I guess." He mumbled, not wanting to deal with this. She grasped his hand, and as the warrior pulled the waitress up, he got an idea. He gave her his most charming smile (which was really just a goofy grin) and didn't let go of her delicate fingers. "I'm Sokka." He said smoothly, bowing slightly. She smiled and replied, "Hui."

The two stared at each other for a moment, gears turning in Sokka's mind. He was working out a plan to test his newfound feelings for the boy in the room behind him. Hui was a _very_ attractive girl, and he knew if he were like any other guy, it wouldn't take much to feel that twinge below the belt. So he needed to test it. She seemed attracted to him, and she was rather forward with her approach so if he could just… he didn't want to, you know, _do it– _but he figured maybe a little making out or whatever could do the trick. He just needed to see. He never thought about that stuff when he was with Suki or Yue, so it would make sense that he never got those urges, right? He hoped so, because he's gotten them for the firebender in the next room, and if he didn't with Hui, he had some serious soul searching to do.

"So, uh… You wanna…" Sokka lost his cool, unable to figure out how exactly he would initiate something so intimate so quickly.

Hui, apparently had some plans already, and she tugged at the front of his shirt, that sly smile playing at her lips again. She led him down the hall and turned left where it forked. The hall only continued a short ways, and she led him into the room at the end of it. Sokka had to admit, he was nervous. More than nervous- he was practically crawling out of his skin. The room was small, dark, and smelled nice, and Hui turned to face him. She brushed her dark brown hair away from her eyes, and draped her arms around the warrior's neck. His nerves were starting to get the best of him, so he decided it was time to take action.

Sokka tucked a hand behind Hui's head and pulled her into a rough kiss. She didn't resist in the least, and intensified the contact by grabbing his hip and biting his lip. The warrior responded by letting his free hand travel from her shoulder to the small of her back. He let it sit there as he tried to enjoy the feeling of Hui's lips on his own. He pulled her closer, willing his body to give him some kind of reaction, and pulled her head back, nipping at her neck. She let out a soft moan, and when Sokka heard the sound, he broke the contact and stepped away, feeling a strange numbness.

It was wrong.

Not only did was he being a complete asshole, using this poor girl like some guinea pig, he didn't even come close to getting that urge that he was so desperately hoping for. Not to mention, he felt like he was cheating. Cheating on Zuko. Like doing this was a betrayal to the prince asleep in the room down the hall.

"I-I'm sorry," Sokka stuttered, backing up. "I think I'm– I mean I don't think that I can…" He let out a frustrated growl and stormed out of the room, leaving Hui standing confused and alone.

The warrior rushed down the hall and to the flight of stairs. He figured now was not the time to return to his room, and decided fresh air would be best. He hurried down the steps and past the group of men, who were quieting down, and no longer nearly as rowdy. Sokka stepped out into the chilly night and slumped onto the steps of the front door. "This is so messed up…" He whispered, burying his face in his hands. He couldn't think, his mind felt frozen and empty.

The door opened behind him, and Hui plopped down on the steps next to him.

They sat in silence for a while, Sokka's anxiety building the entire time. Finally she spoke, "…What was that all about?"

The warrior lifted his face from his hands and shook his head. "I…" He scoffed at himself and leaned against the steps, resting on his elbows. "Good question. I don't know. Something's just wrong with me, I guess."

Hui watched him, and he was comforted by her expression. It wasn't judgmental or worried or hurt, just curious. "Why?"

Sokka frowned, watching her from the corner of his eye. "Uh… well it's not really something I can… It's, uh, well it's definitely not you –you need to know that. You're totally hot and stuff, I just…" He sighed and looked around the dark village. "Like I said. Something's wrong with me."

"Ah," Hui muttered. She continued to watch Sokka, who began to squirm uncomfortably under her gaze. "I think I know what you mean."

The warrior was caught off guard by the statement and laughed loudly. "Trust me, Hui. You really don't."

The girl frowned and turned her gaze to the town around them. "I had a brother." She said, deadpan. "There was something wrong with him, too." Hui turned to Sokka and stared him dead in the eye. "That's what everyone else thought, anyway... I know what you're talking about, Sokka." The door behind them opened, and the two quickly jumped away from the steps as the jovial men filed out of the inn, slapping each other's backs and shouting farewells.

The tribesman stood, staring at Hui for a long time, unsure of how to respond. Did she actually know? How? He wasn't _that _obvious. Suddenly Hui laughed. She was weirdly confident, and it just started to surprised Sokka that she'd been so willing to initiate such an intimate moment with a complete stranger.

"Well," she said. "Since I'm definitely not getting any tonight, why don't you tell me how it started?"

Sokka's mouth dropped, and a furious blush graced his face. Not only was she confident, she was _blunt_. He wrinkled his nose. Why would he tell her– some stranger that he made out with for two seconds and then ditched?

Hui smiled, and it was a weirdly knowing and reassuring smile. "I know. Why would you tell me, right? Well, I _am_ just some stranger, so what's the worse that could happen?" She touched his shoulder lightly. "C'mon. I'll make us some tea, and then we can talk."

Sokka squinted at her suspiciously, then nodded. Hui was right. She _was _just some stranger, and he _sucked _at holding back his stupid feelings. If they were going to burst out eventually, better at her than at Zuko. He followed Hui into the inn and sat at one of the tables as she prepared some tea. The warrior was silent while he tried to figure out how exactly he was supposed to say what was wrong with him. He wasn't… _gay. _But… he liked this guy in a way that he'd never liked a girl. Which meant he _definitely_ wasn't straight.

Hui sat across from Sokka and slid a steaming cup in his direction. She waited patiently, but the warrior was confused and didn't know where to start. "I don't know." He said gravely. "I don't know what to say."

Hui gave him that knowing smile again and nodded. "It's alright. How about you tell me when it started?"

Sokka stared at her, more uncomfortable than he'd ever been. He couldn't understand how she knew, but before he could think about it, he was spilling his guts, telling Hui about a boy that had been chasing him and his friends for months. About how they met under different circumstances in Ba Sing Se and had to flee when they got into trouble. He did his best to remain vague on the details of why they'd gotten in trouble, and with whom, but Hui didn't seem interested in that anyway. Sokka continued to recount the moment behind Chun's house, and every confusing feeling he'd had since. He was spewing his guts out onto the table for her to dig through, and it made him feel vulnerable and frightened, but Hui only continued nodding with that reassuring smile.

"And so now I'm just confused and kind of pissed off and I don't know what to do." Sokka finished with a heavy sigh. He was beginning to feel the numbness creep up on him again.

"So…" She gestured at her left eye. "The scar-dude? He's the one you're talking about?"

Sokka groaned and slammed his forehead on the table. Hui giggled and said, "I'll take that as a yes." Sokka picked up his head, giving her a hopeless look. "Well, he is cute, I'll give you that." Hui poured herself another cup of tea. "So… Do you think he's gay too?"

The warrior recoiled at the word, letting out a sharp huff. "I'm _not _gay." He said defiantly. "I just…" He didn't know what to say and shook his head helplessly.

"Right…" Hui said slowly. "Well, call it what you want, but do you think that scar-dude would do a guy?"

Sokka groaned, slamming his face back onto the hard tabletop. She was so… _crude._ "I dunno, Hui. And I don't really plan on asking."

"Well why not?" the girl asked skeptically, setting her tea down. "I mean, I know you're from the Water Tribe and he's from the Fire Nation, but come on. It'll be great." She gave him a devious smirk. The warrior sat up quickly in his seat.

"What?! I never said he was– How did you know I–!" Sokka stuttered. This girl had the most ridiculous insight. He never said where either of the boys were from, and he was always sure to refer to Zuko as Li.

"Oh come _on_, Sokka_._" Hui grumbled with a cocky grin. She rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid. Not only does your get-up give you away, your name and eyes are pretty big indicators, too." She waved a hand at her face. "And scar-dude? What's his real name? Li? Bull. Gold eyes, black hair– that equals Fire Nation. Am I right?"

Sokka just watched the girl, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't tell you his name, Hui." He said, waving a dismissive hand at her. "And _stop _calling him frickin' scar-dude."

"Ooh, you said '_can't'…_" Hui said slowly. "That means scar-dude is probably wanted. Or important." She was quiet for a while, and then suddenly laughed. "Or both! Oh _wow, _Sokka! You're in love with the banished _prince_ of the Fire Nation! Zuko! That's where I've seen that scar! Well done kid, royalty! Shooting for the stars!" Hui was cackling now and Sokka just sat in silence. How was he supposed to react to that? He barely knew this girl and she was just so…

"Hui, you can't… ugh. You're not helping." He groaned, brushing his hand over his hair in exasperation. This girl _really _reminded him of Toph.

"Right, right." She giggled, pulling herself back together. She sighed and gave Sokka an apologetic smile. "So… You're just planning to keep your mouth shut until you find your friends again?"

"Yup."

"And… You really think that's going to work?" Hui gave him a skeptical look. "You've only been dealing with these feelings for…" She counted on her fingers. "Four days?" Sokka's eyes widened. Only four days? It felt like _ages_. Hui continued, "You gotta figure something out. I mean, he's going to be getting suspicious of you checking out his ass pretty soon here, and it sounds like maybe he's already started to notice. And _no more running around drunk in your underwear!_" Hui looked exasperated. "That's just stupid."

Sokka nodded, leaning back in his chair. Four days. He still couldn't believe it. "But there's nothing I can do…" He muttered, staring at the ceiling. "I definitely can't just stop traveling with him. I mean, he's… my friend now. And I can't tell him." He held a hand up to stop Hui's protests. "I can't. He'd either set me on fire, or break my neck. He's not… ya know… gay or whatever." This conversation was beginning to exhaust Sokka, and he felt like it wasn't getting him anywhere.

"Oh come on." Hui insisted. "Maybe you should try and woo him or something."

"What!" Sokka hissed. "I can't _woo_ Zuko. He's… Well, _Zuko._ I swear the guy's only emotions are angry and annoyed."

Hui rolled her eyes. "Okay Sokka. But…" She gave him her first concerned look all night. "Don't beat yourself up over this. I know we don't really know each other, but I like you. You're a pretty funny guy, and I think he could like you, too. But try not to… over think your situation." Hui's face darkened and her eyes dropped to her empty teacup. Suddenly Sokka remembered her words before. She had a brother. "Don't… Don't forget that it's okay, Sokka. Love is love, or whatever."

The warrior didn't know what had happened to Hui's brother, but he suddenly felt guilty and stood up. She looked surprised at the motion, and when he pulled her into a hug she laughed and pushed him away. "Alright, alright lover boy, relax." He smiled, ignoring the slight heat in his cheeks.

Hui slowly stood and put away their dishes. "We should probably get to bed. It's pretty late."

Sokka agreed and they both headed upstairs. Hui stopped with the warrior at his door and gave him a confident smile. "Goodnight Sokka. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow before you leave."

The tribesman nodded, and bowed slightly. "Thank you Hui. I…" He laughed. "Well, I feel a lot better, that's for sure." Finally he bade her goodnight and slipped into his room, feeling a bit relieved. It had felt good to get everything off of his chest, but talking about it made him anxious and exhausted.

The warrior crawled onto the futon and lay next to his travel companion.

Zuko stirred and rolled over, dazed and half asleep.

"Sokka?" He mumbled. A tired scowl graced his features and he rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah?" The warrior whispered, his heart skipping. The sight of a half sleeping Zuko was almost too much for him and he did his best to keep a straight face.

The prince was quiet, and Sokka thought he fell back asleep, but he finally spoke again. "Are you okay? You've been acting weird."

"Oh," the warrior's stomach was in knots, and he inched a little further from the prince. "Ha, yeah, I'm fine!" He squeaked. "Totally awesome!"

Zuko was silent even longer this time, but eventually he rolled over, putting his back to the warrior. "Alright." He mummered. He didn't believe the tribesman, but he was too sleepy to press for answers, and he didn't want to be too intrusive. "Goodnight, Sokka."

The warrior rolled over as well, already feeling a bit miserable again.

"Yeah. 'Night"

* * *

The next day the boys quickly got ready and when they went downstairs they found Hui sipping tea at one of the tables. When she saw Sokka she grinned and stood. He approached her, smiling back, and held out a hand. Hui grasped it and said, "Good luck, Sokka." She gave his hand a squeeze. "I hope we see each other again."

He nodded, giving a little nervous laugh. "Yeah. Thanks for everything Hui, but we should probably go now."

The waitress's eyes fell on Zuko and her smile turned into the smirk that seemed to pop up so often. "Hey, scar-dude!" Zuko's eyes widened at the nickname and he scowled. "Make sure this idiot doesn't get into too much trouble, okay?"

Zuko pouted, not feeling a reply was necessary. He began to skulk away muttering, "Scar-dude?"

Sokka raised an annoyed eyebrow at Hui, a shook his head. "Scar-dude? Really?"

She laughed and followed him to the door.

"Bye Sokka."

He waved over his shoulder as he left, jogging to catch up to the cranky prince. They were walking down the main street, which was crowded with rows of stands selling various things.

"So," Sokka said, glancing at the prince. "I was thinking we could trade the rest of those potatoes for some jerky?" He immediately brought out the puppy dog eyes and stuck out his bottom lip. Zuko glared at him, still annoyed about the comment the waitress had made.

"Whatever, I don't care." He grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Finally!" Sokka crowed. "Meat!" He grinned at the prince, and somehow his excitement broke the firebender's bad mood. Zuko couldn't resist a small smile, and he shook his head at the blue-eyes boy.

The two quickly found someone willing to make the trade, and got quite a bit of meat, considering the few potatoes they had left. All they'd been eating since they left Chun's were baked potatoes (thanks to Zuko's firebending) because they had nothing to cook their rice in. Sokka spent the little money he had on another canteen (so they had something other than rum to drink) and a pot, which they stuck in Zuko's bag since he no longer had the potatoes to carry.

"So," Zuko said as they began to head out of town. "What was up with you and that waitress?" The firebender felt an annoying spark of jealousy every time he thought about it. "Did you guys… Ya know…" He trailed off, not feeling the need to finish.

The warrior blushed and quickly replied, "No, no, no! We just talked, that's all."

Zuko looked away. "You talked?" He was quiet for a while. He didn't want to push the warrior. He was kind of the firebender's first friend, but Zuko really wanted to know. "Did you tell her what's been bothering you?" That jealousy was rearing its ugly head again.

"Oh, well… I dunno," Sokka mumbled, rubbing the back of his head, and feeling the lump his boomerang left behind the other night. "Nothing's bothering me, I'm fine, really."

Zuko sighed and took a quick look at Sokka. The tribesman was lying, and the prince knew it, but he decided not to say so.


	9. Chapter 9

Three days later the boys sat quietly next to each other. Night had fallen and they were examining the map in the light of the campfire. Zuko was becoming more comfortable around Sokka, and they no longer sat in long awkward silences, unless the warrior was in one of his moods.

"We have about three more days before we make it to the next town." The tribesman said, looking up from the map to find the prince brushing his hair away from his eyes. The dark locks were growing fast, and the firebender often got frustrated trying to keep the hair off his face.

"Yeah," Zuko muttered. He pointed at a dot on the map that was nestled in between the fork of a river, a week further west. "…This is a Fire Nation colony. I was thinking maybe we could stop here and get some appropriate clothing." He scanned Sokka's stained, bright blue clothes and smiled. "You'd kind of stick out."

The warrior glanced down at himself and frowned. It was true, but he'd miss the reminder of home. "Yeah…" He mumbled. "But I'm keeping the wolf's tail."

Zuko nodded. "But… Maybe you could grow the sides out some. We need to blend in as much as possible."

Sokka touched the side of his head, feeling the shaved hair already getting longer than he normally wore it. "I guess so..."

The two went quiet again, and the warrior watched Zuko's fingers brush his scar as he sat pensively. Sokka knew what he was thinking. How was he supposed to hide that? Not only was it huge, it was a pretty unique mark that instantly brought him attention. And in the Fire Nation many would easily be able to identify him as their banished prince.

The tribesman felt bad for the firebender, and wondered how he got the mark. There were plenty of rumors about it, but he'd never really heard a straight answer. "…Hey, Zuko?" Sokka asked. The prince looked up and the warrior began to get a little anxious. He spoke quickly in an attempt to overcome his hesitation, "So, you don't have to answer this if it's too personal or whatever, cuz I definitely don't want to make you mad, and I know it's probably a sensitive subject, but I was just wondering…" Sokka trailed off, unable to bring himself to put forth the question. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the firebender.

Zuko gave the tribesman a small smile. He knew exactly what he was trying to ask, and he was a little surprised with himself when he realized it didn't really bother him. " You want to know how I got my scar?"

Sokka stared at him wide-eyed for a second, and then nodded, looking guilty. Zuko slowly rolled up the map and stuck it in his bag before he began. "When I was young, my father allowed me to attend a military meeting…" He spoke with a calculated tone, doing his best to avoid emotion. "During the meeting a general insisted on the sacrifice of a group of recruits to gain advantage in a battle. I was rash and stupid, and I spoke out of turn. I disagreed. They were loyal soldiers of the Fire Nation, and treating them like pawns would have been a betrayal to the people… But that… that infuriated both my father and the general, and I was forced to participate in an Agni Kai–"

"A what?" Sokka cut off. His curiosity overpowered him and couldn't help the outburst.

The price shot him a glare, annoyed with the interruption. "Uh… It's a duel used as a last resort to settle arguments. Two firebenders fight until one is burned or dead."  
"Oh." Sokka said quietly. "So you…"

"Yes. I assumed I was going fight the general, because he was the one I was having a disagreement with, but… Well, it turns out it was my father." The prince did his best to avoid catching Sokka's worried eyes and continued. "I was weak. I refused to fight him." Zuko traced the outline of the scar with his fingertips. "That's when he gave me this and banished me… Not only did I lose my honor that day, I lost everything I'd ever known."

Sokka fidgeted nervously. He was mentally punching himself for asking Zuko to tell him something so painful, and the prince's cold demeanor only worried him more. "I'm sorry," he mumbled guiltily. "You didn't have to tell me." The warrior brushed his hand over his hair. "But, I mean… You were right, you know? Using those men like that, and–and your father hurting you like that… It was evil."

Zuko suddenly let out a harsh laugh. "I know." He stated, rolling a bit of fire between his fingertips in an effort to redirect his negative emotions. "I know it was evil, but…" Zuko sighed and distinguished the flames. "But it's fine. I've chosen to no longer live my life under his rule."

Sokka moved closer to the prince, still feeling remorseful. "Maybe… Maybe when we find the gang you could…" He hesitated and gave a short, nervous laugh. He wanted the prince to stay near him when this was over, even if it was only as friends. But the other members of the group, particularly his sister, would probably have a harder time with the idea. "Maybe you could come with us?" He finally finished. He was anxious, and afraid the firebender might be offended. They both knew the end goal of the gang was the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, and the warrior was unsure of how the prince would react.

Zuko was silent for a while, and he lay back, thinking about the offer. Sokka was… Well, the prince didn't want to admit it, but Sokka was becoming uncomfortably important to him. "Perhaps…" He muttered, not wanting to commit to such a decision so soon. Despite the contempt he held for his father, there were other emotions tangled with that hate that prevented him from making a choice. The prince watched Sokka, who was still sitting up and staring at the campfire. The warrior's back was stiff and he was squirming nervously, like he always seemed to be. The firebender wondered at the behavior for the millionth time that week.

"Why are you fidgeting?" Zuko questioned, keeping his voice indifferent and not expecting a straight answer. He _never_ got a straight answer.

Sokka's back straightened a little more, and he quieted his hands. "I'm not." He grumbled defensively, like a child caught doing something he shouldn't.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "You were."

The warrior shot the prince a glare, and returned his gaze to the fire, not bothering to respond. This was always the reaction he had when Zuko questioned the way he was acting, and for some reason on this particular occasion, it pissed the prince off. He sat up angrily, and the campfire brightened. Sokka jumped a little and stared at the firebender fearfully.

"Sokka." Zuko said firmly, almost growling. "_What _is your problem? Ever since…" He paused, thinking back. "Ever since…" The prince's eyes widened and the campfire almost went out. Sokka sat in horrified silence as his friend began to piece things together. "Ever since Chun's…? What…" Zuko stared vacantly into the night. No. That couldn't be it. He glanced at the warrior, and then back at the empty dark, mind recalling all the stares and the blushing. For the longest time he thought the behavior was just Sokka's response to the traumatic event at Lake Laogai, but the more he thought about it, the less it made sense. He'd heard the warrior muttering in his sleep lately, but nothing like when he was having the nightmares. The prince's mind brought up the night they washed in the small creek, and the way Sokka had looked at him as they were trying to find a bathing spot. The firebender had just chalked it up to zoning out. Now he was pretty sure the warrior had been staring at his _butt. _Zuko's chest tightened and he felt a horrendous amount embarrassed heat begin to rise from his body.

_Sokka likes me. _

The prince was dumbfounded as he pondered the revelation, unable to decipher his feelings. He was definitely in awe, but not because the warrior was male; those kinds of things were once frequent on his ship. When men were stuck in the middle of the ocean for three-plus years it was bound to happen – but _Sokka_. Zuko was caught off guard by the epiphany. He never even _hinted_ at having those kinds of feelings for men… and the warrior had told him about past girlfriends – like the princess who became the moon and the Kyoshi Warrior. Zuko shifted uncomfortably and glanced at Sokka, who was sweating bullets and looking in the opposite direction. The prince really had no idea what to do.

_This is just my luck,_ he skulked.

And Zuko was pretty sure he didn't feel the same.

_Pretty _sure_. _

Suddenly Sokka jumped up, muttering some kind of excuse about needing "to take a dump" and hurried off into the night. Zuko groaned angrily and leaned back, reigniting the campfire. He wished desperately for his uncle's advice and thought back to all the things the wise old man had once told him.

One of the most recent suggestions stuck out in his mind and he muttered it to himself. "I suggest you think about what it is you want from your life, and why." …But what _did_ he want? He knew he didn't want to lose Sokka as a friend – he felt particularly attached to the warrior. He was the first person to make him laugh in years, and helping the tribesman find the bison was the start of the prince's new life out of the control of the Fire Lord. Zuko rolled on his side and stared at the spot in which the warrior had disappeared. He didn't know how to deal with this surprise, and decided it was best if he kept his awareness of Sokka's situation to himself. The warrior obviously didn't want him to know. If he had, the boy who normally wore his heart on his sleeve wouldn't have been torturing himself by keeping the secret in. The thought made Zuko feel a slight pang of guilt, but he feared the idea of Sokka admitting something like that because it would inevitably end in disaster. He thought the warrior was great, but not like _that._

…Right?

Sokka stood quite a distance from their camp and relished the cover the darkness brought. He saw the realization in Zuko's eyes. He saw the gears turn and the answer to his question materialize. The warrior groaned and doubled over, holding his stomach. There was an unbearable anxiety overwhelming him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress it. How was he supposed to go back there? He couldn't. He was positive Zuko figured it out. He tried so hard to hide it and it was horrible, but now that the prince knew it would be even worse.

"Why, why, whyyyyyy?" the warrior groaned quietly, lying on the ground. They were camped out in the plains and there was really no place for him to hide from the prince. The best he could do was get far away – and he didn't feel far enough. He stared up and the sky and felt his stomach growl uncomfortably. "What do I do, what do I do?" He mumbled rolling onto his side and ignoring the pangs of hunger. "I'm so _screwed_." The warrior curled into a tight ball and closed his eyes. "But what's the worst that'll happen? He'll say no and I'll have to get over it. I can deal. I can _totally_ deal." He was really just trying to convince himself because he honestly didn't know how well he'd _deal_.

"…Or he'll freak out and crisp me."

_Or worse – leave. _

The idea made his chest tighten so much it ached. He liked the firebender. And although it sounded childish – he liked him more than he'd ever liked anyone. "No, it's fine, he'll just be like 'oh sorry peasant, I don't actually swing that way, I'd rather just be friends.' And I'll be like 'okay, pal, that works for me,' and it'll be fine. Just. Fine." The tribesman buried his face in his knees and stayed there in silence for a long time. It wouldn't be fine. The numbness had begun to creep up on him again, and after a while all he could do was stare at the darkness.

"I thought you were _'taking a dump'_."

Sokka flailed, caught off guard by the rough voice, and sat up to find Zuko standing awkwardly a few feet away.

"Uhhh…"

The prince pushed his hair off his forehead and said, exasperated, "Well? Aren't you going to come back?"

Sokka was confused to say the least. He didn't know how to respond. He stared at the firebender with his mouth hanging open. "W-wha...?" Did he not know? Did he not actually figure it out?

Zuko became frustrated and crossed his arms. "Well come on!" He huffed. "You're not gonna lay out here all night are you?"

The warrior stood slowly, still unable to respond. Zuko began to walk back to the camp, and Sokka followed uncertainly. When they arrived, the prince shoved a bowl into the tribesman's hands and began to mumble, "You were gone a while so I made you some dinner." He looked away and stuffed a few strips of jerky in the warrior's hands as well.

Sokka shot him quick, fleeting glances and gave a quiet thank you. He carefully settled in front of the campfire, sure to stay on the opposite side of Zuko as he inhaled the dinner. Even in his emotional turmoil he couldn't resist food – especially the jerky.

"So, uh… nice night, huh?" Zuko said, trying to sound casual.

Sokka stopped eating and squinted suspiciously at the firebender. He nodded.

"Well… Um, anyway, I think I've figured out why you've been acting weird." Zuko was staring at his lap and rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Sokka let out a small squeak and froze. _Deny everything, just deny __**everything**__!_

The prince let out a tense laugh and said, "It because of that night at Lake Laogai, ri–"

"Okay, listen, I definitely do _not _like_– _wait. What?" This was not what Sokka was expecting and it took him a moment to comprehend. He laughed loudly, trying to cover up what he'd almost said. "Oh, yeah," He was still being a bit loud, but he couldn't help it. "That's totally it. That is _exactly_… the thing. Yes. There you go." He let out another unnatural laugh and quickly began to devour his food again.

Zuko looked away from the Water Tribe boy and couldn't help but frown. He was glad the warrior didn't know that he knew, but Sokka's secret was leaving him _very _confused.

* * *

Sokka awoke the next morning to find Zuko gone. For a moment panic filled him and irrational thoughts raced through his mind. _Oh great, he left. Now I'm stuck out here all alone with no map and no dignity and-! Oh._ The warrior spotted Zuko's bags. _So he must be around here somewhere._ He sat for a moment, unsure of what to do, then busied himself with making some breakfast.

Zuko was a ten-minute walk away from their campsite, going through some of the motions of firebending without allowing himself to produce the flames. He'd awoken that morning to the sound of the warrior muttering his name. Usually he ignored the tribesman's mumbles, but for some reason this time was different. At first he thought something was wrong, but he found the blue-eyed boy still curled up in a tight ball sleeping soundly. Then he said his name again, and Zuko knew what was happening. The prince let out a frustrated growl as he brought his motions to a halt. The practice wasn't the same without the satisfying result of fire, and he plopped on the ground to meditate.

After sitting for a few minutes, he realized his mind wasn't quieting and he let out another snarl as he lay back. Something weird happened when he saw the warrior's face that morning. The sight wasn't actually anything new, he'd seen the boy sleeping before (usually with his mouth hanging open and a trail of drool leading to his pillow), but this morning was different. When Zuko had heard his name he checked up on the tribesman, curious. The prince sighed at the memory and felt his cheeks heat up as he stared at the sky grumpily. Sokka's flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips flashed through his mind, and he heard the echo of the warrior's breathy voice. The prince groaned and rubbed his eyes angrily. Sokka wasn't just _saying _his name in his sleep, he was practically _moaning it._ How had he not noticed this behavior sooner? And how had he not realized that he might have actually kind of like the sound? Zuko slammed a fist hard on the ground and accidently charred the grass beneath it. He lay there for another moment, contemplating how to deal with the possible newfound feelings, and finally decided it could wait until later. He stood when his stomach began to growl, and began to make his way back to the camp,, trying to push the difficult thoughts to the back of his mind.

When he arrived he found the source of his mixed feelings neck deep in a bowl of rice, and he sat down across from him. Sokka stopped eating long enough to push a bowl in Zuko's direction, then resumed. The prince picked at his food quietly. Although he was hungry, he was too distracted and set the bowl down. While watching Sokka, he suddenly remembered all the weird feelings the tribesman had produced during their travels. He thought back to when they first met in Ba Sing Se, and how he had volunteered to help the boy without really knowing why. That was weird. He didn't normally do those kinds of things. Then he remembered the mines, and the laughing fit they'd had in the mud. Also something he didn't normally do. And then the night with the rum and how hurt he'd been when Sokka suddenly left him sitting by himself… He felt his face scrunch up when he thought about the awful jealousy he'd had because of the waitress. Suddenly his mind went blank and his face dropped.

_Oh._

He ran through the memories again.

_Oh, spirits._

Sokka was finished eating, and he couldn't help but notice Zuko staring at him with a rather frightening expression. His face was twisted like he smelled something really terrible. The warrior waited for the prince to say something, but he just sat there, his glare unwavering. Suddenly Sokka became very self-conscious. "What?" He mumbled. He sneakily sniffed his armpits. "Do I stink?"

Zuko's eyes widened and his face flushed when he heard Sokka speak. He'd just had another epiphany. The Water Tribe warrior smiled at him nervously, and the prince noticed his dimples. His blush intensified.

That was it…

He.

_Liked. _

Sokka.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the warrior said anxiously. The firebender's face was getting more and more frightening as the seconds passed. "Are you, uh… Are you okay?"

Zuko didn't hear a word the tribesman said. He liked Sokka, and Sokka liked him. How should he approach that kind of situation? Should he tell him? _That's what you normally do when you like someone, right?_ But he couldn't. That was too rash, even for him.

"Listen," Sokka babbled after the firebender's lack of response. "I don't know what's going on. Was it the food? I'm sorry, okay. My sister usually cooks… No? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, your face is great!" Zuko shouted as he slammed a fist on the ground. The warrior's babbling was only making matters worse.

Sokka was staring at the flustered firebender, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. How the heck is he supposed to respond to that? He blinked a few times and blushed. "Oh. Well uh, I'm pretty fond of it too, I guess." _So please don't burn it off. _The warrior slowly helped himself to another serving and began devouring it in an attempt to distract himself from the prince's strange behavior. The firebender was silently staring at the campfire now, with a deathly scowl on his face.

Sokka sat quietly for a moment, trying to resist the urge to begin babbling again. He couldn't help it, the curiosity was killing him. "Soooo… What's up?" He was hesitant and watched the prince warily.

Zuko's glare was redirected at the Water Tribe boy for a moment. "Noth–" His eyes shot up to the sky as a shout cut him off. Sokka jumped to his feet and his eyes snapped to the sky as well. There, quickly approaching was Appa, and on his back the warrior could see his sister's form waving violently. The bison landed a few yards away, and the warrior raced to his side, exploding with excitement. He began to chatter excitedly as he climbed up Appa's side, but froze when he saw the look on his sister's face. Katara was solemn and her eyes looked tired and dull. "Something's happened." She whispered, motioning to a pile of blankets in the saddle. Sokka stared for a moment, and realized the airbender was nowhere to be seen. He looked at Katara questioningly. "Where's Aang?"

The waterbender glanced at the pile of blankets painfully.

Sokka's eyes widened. "No. He's not –" The warrior's voice caught in his throat. "He's not dead is he?" The words came out as a hoarse whisper.

"No." She said stoically. "I used the water from the Spirit Oasis. He's been unconscious for days now –about as long as we've been _searching_ for you." Katara's gaze slipped over her brother's shoulder. "We need to go, Sokka."

The warrior glanced over his shoulder as well, and saw Zuko sitting silently next to the fire, watching the scene. His golden eyes held the tribesman's for a moment, and then fell to the fire in front of him. Sokka turned to his sister sternly. "He's coming." The warrior whispered, finality in his voice.

Katara's eyed widened. "Oh no he is _not!_" She growled. "That _monster_ has been chasing us for who-knows-how-long, and you think he can all of the sudden up and join?! Just because you two have gotten all buddy-buddy over the past two weeks?!"

Sokka felt a heat rise in his cheeks and he jumped to the ground. "Yes." He growled.

"His _sister_ did this, Sokka! You think we can trust him?! You think we can just let the _prince _of the Fire Nation just come along?!" Katara was screaming now. Her teary eyes were wild and her hair was coming undone as she continued to shout.

Zuko sat next to the fire, listening to the conversation as his mind reeled. He was torn. He wanted to stay with Sokka and he wanted to help him, but his father… The avatar was right there, vulnerable and weak – completely unable to defend himself. It would be so simple to regain his honor. Zuko saw Sokka begin to walk towards him. The warrior stood next to the prince for a while, watching him in silence.

"Will you come?" He finally asked quietly.

Zuko saw the pain in his travel companion's eyes, and it hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut and attempted to sort out his feelings. Sokka or honor? He felt the boy crouch down next to him, and he kept his eyes shut. There was too much indecision roiling inside him, he couldn't focus, and his head began to hurt.

"Zuko?" Sokka's voice was a whisper, but when he touched Zuko's hand, the prince opened his eyes and saw the warrior looking at the ground.

"Yes… I'll come."

There was a brief glint of joy in the tribesman's eyes, and he stood, pulling Zuko up by the hand, then quickly letting go. The moment disappeared when his sister began to scream again. The two boys walked slowly, and for the first time Sokka noticed Toph's head pop out of the saddle. "Listen, Sugar Queen!" She said angrily as she jumped to the ground. "We don't have time for this!" The earthbender stomped towards the two boys and stopped next to Zuko, trying to stare him down, her hands on her hips. The prince looked at Sokka, a bit confused when the little girl's gaze seemed to go right through him. The warrior shrugged, and watched.

"So." Toph said, poking at the prince's chest. "You wanna come?"

"Uh… Well, yeah." Zuko mumbled, swatting her finger away.

"Are you gonna pull any sketchy crap? Try and kill Aang, or something?" She poked him again.

Zuko shook his head and Toph waited impatiently for a response.

"Well?!"

Sokka elbowed the firebender sharply and waved a hand in front of his eyes to try and convey her blindness. The prince shot the warrior a glare as he rubbed the sore spot.

"No, I'm not going to try and kill or capture the avatar." He said, elbowing Sokka back and causing the blue-eyed boy to let out a yelp.

Toph stared sternly at nothing for another moment, and then slapped Zuko playfully on the back, sending the prince flying forward. "Alright! Let's get going!"

Katara continued to fight tooth and nail against the firebender joining them, but nobody seemed to listen, and they all began to pile into Appa's saddle. Zuko stood next to the sky bison nervously, keeping his eyes on the angry waterbender as Sokka climbed up. Her glare was piercing and although he wanted to stay with the warrior, he had to admit Katara was making him rethink his choice.

"Here." Sokka said, holding out his hand. Zuko met his eyes and couldn't help a small smile. The warrior saw the gesture and smiled back. The prince felt his chest tighten and he grasped the boy's hand, trying to ignore the weird look Toph was giving him.

She shrugged and hoisted herself into the saddle.

"Yip. Yip." Katara growled. Appa jumped into the air and began to fly back east.

The waterbender sat towards Appa's head, fuming and holding the unconscious avatar. Her glares rotated between Toph, who was next to her, and Sokka and Zuko, who were sitting at the opposite end of the saddle. The prince looked at the warrior, who seemed especially hurt, and he suddenly felt extremely defensive of the boy. He watched the brother and sister stare each other down, and did his best not to snap at Katara.

The firebender cleared his throat in an attempt to get the waterbender's attention. Her glare returned to him, filled with hate.

"Have you, uh…" He hesitated when he saw her fingers twitch at the sound of his voice. "Have you seen my uncle?"

Katara suddenly looked a bit remorseful and nodded. "He helped us escape. I think he's been captured by Azula."


	10. Chapter 10

**Gaaaaahh short chapter, I'm super sorry! I promise you'll love the next chapter though. **

**And thank you everybody for your support! **(●´∀｀●)

**Oh and to that one one guest: They're totally gay. Good guess pal. **(ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

* * *

Zuko's mouth went dry as soon as he was able to comprehend the words that fell from Katara's mouth. His sister had Iroh. His_ sister_ –the psychotic, sociopathic prodigy– had his uncle. He stood suddenly, momentarily forgetting that he was miles above the ground. The wind jerked the prince back, and if Sokka hadn't grabbed him by the knees he would have gone flying off. The warrior yanked Zuko's feet out from under him, causing the prince to fall back into his seat. "I have to go find him!"

Sokka held the firebender down by the shoulders as he tried to stand back up. "What are you going to do? Jump to your death? That'll really help!"

Zuko shot him a glare, but regained his composure. The tribesman was right. He sat silently and stared blankly over the edge of the sky bison's saddle.

Sokka watched the prince for a while longer, then turned his attention to his sister. "So… Where are we going?"

Katara was cradling Aang protectively, watching him while he slept. "Chameleon Bay." She said quietly, not looking at her brother. "Dad is there." Sokka's face brightened.

"Dad?!"

"Yeah. We're going to hide out with him for a while."

The warrior sat quietly and watched his sister as she gently laid Aang on his stomach. A small white ball of fur scrambled out of his shirt and hopped onto Katara's shoulder as she pulled the blanket way from the small boy. Sokka grimaced at the sight of the wound. In the middle of the airbender's back was a red gouge, and around the edges it was black and cracked, glossy with puss. The smell brought the warrior back to the night at Lake Laogai and he shuddered, as he watched as his sister uncorked her waterskin and coaxed out the liquid. She formed the water into a ball and gently smoothed it over Aang's burn. The boy stirred for a moment, but didn't wake.

"So what happened while I was gone?" Sokka asked softly.

Katara was quiet for a while, gently attempting to heal the avatar's wound. "… After we checked out the Dai Li's hideout, we finally managed to convince the king their leader was controlling him. The guy had no idea about the war…" Katara was blinking back tears as she continued to work the burn. "Azula and her thugs disguised themselves as Kyoshi Warriors and gained the king's trust. It turns out she over threw the original leader of the Dai Li. Now Ba Sing Se has been taken. It and the Dai Li are now under Azula's control, and she thinks she's killed Aang."

Sokka blinked in surprise. "_Thinks_, huh…" Katara nodded. The tribesman sat in silence for a while. "Well… That could be really useful." He muttered to himself. He turned his attention to Zuko, who was still staring blankly over the edge of the saddle. The warrior nudged him gently with his elbow and asked in a hushed voice, "You okay?"

The prince shot him a glare and nodded.

Despite Zuko's attempts to hide how deep his concerns were, Sokka could see it on his face. He sighed, feeling guilty, and returned to watching Aang's healing session.

* * *

When the group finally landed at Chameleon Bay, the reunion with Sokka and Katara's father was loud and a bit teary. Zuko and Toph stood next to Appa quietly, watching the scene. The earthbender was digging in her ear carelessly and leaning against the bison's soft fur, Momo resting on top of her head. She felt the anxiety in the prince's heartbeat, and rolled her eyes.

"Relax, Sparky." Toph said flatly as she sniffed at the finger she pulled out of her ear.

Zuko shot her a glare, forgetting she couldn't see him and huffed, "I am relaxed."

The small girl stood upright and stuck out her hand. "Uh-huh," she said like she wasn't listening. "I'm Toph by the way. Never introduced myself."

Zuko eyed the hand warily, recalling where he finger had just been, and then gingerly shook it. "Nice to meet you, I guess." Toph let out a quiet "humph" and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against Appa again. "So… You and Sokka got to be pretty good friends, huh?"

Zuko shrugged, not planning on responding, but palmed his forehead when he once again forgot about Toph's blindness. "Sure." He mumbled.

"Riiiiight." There was a strange tone to the girl's voice, like she knew more than she was letting on, and it put the firebender on edge.

She was silent for a while, but Zuko's anxiety really began to build when a mischievous grin graced her face. "So… I've never asked, but what does Sokka look like?"

The prince watched the earthbender in silence for a while, and then finally turned his gaze towards the warrior, who was currently squealing as one of his father's friends gave him a vicious noogie. "Well… He's kinda tall… And he's scrawny."

Toph stared off past his shoulder, attempting to convey how crappy his answer was. "What about his eyes? His skin? Is he jacked? How's his butt?" She elbowed the prince, giving him a wink.

Zuko glanced at her, feeling his heart pound against his chest. He tried not to answer, but Toph elbowed him again, her grin practically splitting her face. "Well?"

"Er… He's really tan… and he's not jacked but he's not wimpy." Zuko let his eyes travel over the warrior, who's loud laugh boomed across the beach. "…He has really nice eyes. And his smile's really funny, kind of crooked."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Toph egged. "What about his _butt_?" She tried to look serious, but the corners of her mouth twitched dangerously close to a smile.

Zuko couldn't stop his eyes, and before he knew it he was staring at Sokka's backside. His heart practically jumped into his throat, and the prince felt his face burn with embarrassment as Toph fell to the ground, cackling madly. "Oh, oh!" She cried. "You got it bad Princey, you got it bad!"

Zuko's mouth dropped. His eyes shot to the warrior to be sure he hadn't heard, and then he glared down at the hysterical earthbender. "What are you talking about?" He growled.

Toph laughed a little longer, then finally calmed. "Please." She waved her arms and legs in the sand in an attempt to make a sand-angel. "Even in this stuff I can feel your heartbeat. Now _that's _bad." She sat up, shaking the small grains from her hair. "So ya got the hots for Snoozles. That's weird."

Zuko's mouth opened and closed as anger choked his words. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He stammered.

Toph shrugged and stood, dusting herself off. "I mean it's weird, but whatever. You like what you like. But I know one person who would _not _like it, and that is Madame Fussy Britches." She jerked a thumb back at Katara and Zuko glanced up at the waterbender, who was now talking to her father and brother. She looked happy, but something in her eyes looked hurt and angry. He swallowed hard and returned his gaze to Toph.

"But," She continued. "Who cares, right?" She went quiet for a moment and turned her head in the direction of the members of the Water Tribe. "At least he likes you back."

Zuko stood, hushed by Toph's forwardness. He watched the object of his affections turn his attention to his sister, a touch of anger in his frown as she pointed an angry finger in Zuko's direction. The firebender sighed and rubbed his temples, frustrated. "Look," He growled. "Don't tell anyone, okay? Not even him. _Especially _not him."

Toph groaned, clearly annoyed at the idea of having to keep a secret. "What? _Why?"_

Zuko scowled as Sokka began to jog in their direction. "Because. Just don't, okay?"

Toph grumbled a dissatisfied confirmation as the Water Tribe warrior finally approached them with that lopsided grin. "You guys wanna meet my dad?" The boy was clearly bubbling with excitement and grabbed Toph and Zuko's hands, not waiting for an answer. They were both dragged to Sokka's father, Hakoda, who looked tired, but pleased. Katara stood a few steps behind the older man, openly seething.

"Dad, these are my friends, Zuko and Toph." The blue-eyed boy said happily.

Hakoda studied Zuko for a long and rather tense moment before giving him a guarded smile. He held out a heavy, calloused hand and shook Zuko's roughly. "Any friend of Sokka's is a friend of mine." He said. Katara gave a rather loud scoff and stomped off to find a comfortable place to let Aang sleep.

Zuko returned Hakoda's smile with a similar expression, and shook his hand firmly. He felt an overwhelming need for the older man's approval, and he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." He ended with a slight bow as he let go of the man's hand.

Hakoda nodded and turned to Toph, who decided it was the perfect time to pick her nose. Their elder watched a bit baffled, then said hesitantly, "Er... It's a pleasure to meet you, too, little girl." Toph raised an eyebrow with a defiant glint in her eye. "Sure, same. _Old man_."

Hakoda was caught of guard by her venom, but found the quip funny, and he let out a loud laugh that reminded Zuko of Sokka's. He let his gold eyes wander to the young tribesman, and found him watching the prince with a strangely proud gaze. Zuko gave him a questioning look, and felt heat creep onto his face.

The Water Tribe warrior shrugged, and looked away with an unintentionally secretive smile. He was actually kind of proud. He knew there was zero chance of being with the firebender, but knowing his father at least semi-approved of the prince comforted Sokka. Being friends was better than nothing, and family approval was still important. Now he just needed to work on his sister.

* * *

Night had fallen, and Zuko was preparing a place to sleep away from the camp. He spread his thin blanket on the ground. Not only did he feel uncomfortable being so close to Katara, who wanted his head on a stick, he didn't like the idea of sleeping in sand, and Toph seemed to agree. She was walking carefully in his direction, looking a bit disoriented until she place her foot on solid earth.

"Hey, Your Hotness." She quipped, with a casual wave. She stomped firmly with her left, then right foot, and swung her arms above her head, her hands meeting at a point. Two slabs of rock shot from the ground next to Zuko, and formed the earthbender's tent for the night. She crawled in with a pleased sigh.

The prince took in a slow, deep breath and sat on the blanket he'd spread, pulling Sokka's heavier one over his lap (the warrior had given it to Zuko after he realized he could use his own sleeping bag again). The prince released the air he'd been holding in his lungs and laid back to watch the stars. He frowned when he realized the sky was extremely overcast, and closed his eyes. There was silence for a long while, but it was interrupted by Toph snickering in her rock tent.

"Sounds like Snoozles is coming for a visit." She said with a teasing tone.

Zuko sat up, and sure enough Sokka appeared, carrying his sleeping bag as he approached. The boy was fuming as he threw the heap of cloth on the ground next to the prince.

"Hey." The warrior mumbled as he crawled into the bag.

Zuko ignored Toph's giggling as he leaned back, resting on his elbows. "What's your problem?" A tinge of red graced the younger boy's caramel skin, and he burrowed deeper in his blankets in an attempt to hide his face.

"Katara's just being a jerk." He muttered, shrugging and avoiding eye contact.

Zuko frowned and nodded. "So what? She kicked you out?"

Sokka shrugged again. "Nah, I just…" He cleared his throat, embarrassed by what he was about to admit. "I was tired of hearing her talk crap about you. So I decided to sleep out here."

Toph's giggles burst into full-out, gut wrenching laughter, and Sokka raised an eyebrow. "What? Why is that so funny."

"Aw Princey, Princey, Princey," she chided between bursts.

The firebender sighed and shook his head. "It's not." He grumbled.

The two boys laid in silence and as Toph's laughter died down, Zuko noticed a prick of cold on his cheek. Then another. He sighed heavily as rain began to fall, and Sokka whined, "Toooph, can you make me a teeent?" More silence, then a slab of stone shot up abruptly, nearly smashing Zuko on the face. Another slab did the same to Sokka, and the two boys ended up squished shoulder to shoulder.

"Nighty-night!" Toph quipped mischievously.


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

It was a week later, and the gang was residing on a ship they'd captured with the help of Sokka and Katara's father and his group of Southern Water Tribe Warriors. Katara had been avidly avoiding everyone, including her dad, and spent most of her time at the side of the still unconscious Aang. Sokka sighed as he leaned over the railing of the ship, letting the wind tear some of his hair loose from the leather throng that held it together. Katara was being awful. She'd threatened Zuko with his life numerous times – at least once a day. This, with the addition of his uncle's capture, caused the prince to retreat back to his boring, skulking self, and now (much to Sokka's displeasure) he hardly left his room. The tribesman fixed his hair and decided it was time to visit his friend.

Sokka slowly made his way below deck and wandered to the end of the hall, lingering outside the prince's room. He didn't really have anything to say, he just wanted to see the firebender. He tugged anxiously at the collar of his Fire Nation cloak and rapped twice on the metal door. He jumped as the sound reverberated down the hall, and feared Katara would poke her head out of Aang's room and see him interacting with the prince. She'd been unwavering in her attempts to keep the two apart lately, and it was infuriating.

Zuko's heavy door silently opened inward, and the prince stood staring at the boy with a tired expression. Sokka laughed nervously and scratched at his cheek.

"Hey," he muttered, avoiding the golden eyes.

Zuko watched him with a look of awkward uncertainty.

"Sooo…" Sokka said slowly. "Can I come in?"

The prince frowned and glanced down the hall. "Alright." He muttered, stepping back. Sokka walked in, hyper aware of Zuko's bad mood.

Zuko shut the door and carefully made his way to the bed, sitting down. He'd been avoiding everyone since they arrived on the ship – especially the tribesman. Luckily the warrior's sister was intent on this anyway, and Zuko hoped it covered up his purposefulness. Being near Sokka made the annoying feelings stir to an uncomfortable level and he feared his inability to quell them. He wanted to tell the warrior, but he was afraid of putting the boy in such a position, so he kept the emotions well hidden. He knew the feelings were mutual, but he feared the way the boy's sister would react if she knew. She already had burning hatred for the prince, and adding the fact that he wanted to bone her brother onto the list would _not _help his case.

He groaned at the embarrassing thought, forgetting for a moment that Sokka was in his room.

The warrior felt a twinge of hurt as he stood uncertainly next to the door. The firebender's annoyed grunt left him feeling insecure and he began make his way out the room. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Uh, I should probably go."

"No, wait!" Zuko said quickly. "I, um… I haven't seen you in a while." He motioned gracelessly for Sokka to sit next to him, cursing quietly when he accidently knocked his wrist off the bedpost.

The warrior chewed his lip indecisively and finally let his hand drop from the door, slowly making his way to the bed. Sokka sat and watched the firebender's gold eyes dart everywhere but at him and guilt began to well up inside the warrior. "I'm sorry," he began to babble. "I shouldn't have asked you to come, I knew it would be like this. You and your uncle would be sitting happy in Ba Sing Se if I had just left you alone, and ya know, you deserve better. I really shouldn't have asked you to come… I mean, I know Katara's being an ass but she's really not normally _that_ bad…" Sokka sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I was so selfish."

The boy's dark skin was tinted red by the end of his spew, and Zuko watched silently as the tanned hands squirmed in his lap.

"How were you selfish?"

Sokka looked surprised by the question, and the red tinge darkened. "Oh, well," He gave the prince a charmingly crooked smile. "I… Well I-I guess I didn't really want you to go quite yet." It was a bold admission, but the warrior was willing to risk it.

It was Zuko's turn to blush and he returned to looking anywhere but at those overwhelmingly blue eyes. "Oh." He hesitated, wanting to say more. It was difficult enough to resist expressing the feelings he had, but now that they were in such close proximity he was finding it impossible to hold back. And when being completely honest with himself, he realized he really didn't _want _to hold back anymore.

The prince cleared his throat. "Sokka, I um…" He looked down. He needed to tell him. The words tugged in his throat, begging to be released and Zuko's lack of patience was starting to overcome his discipline. "I need to tell you something." He finally whispered.

Sokka was staring at him curiously, waiting. He was honestly a bit afraid. The prince's face was beginning to knot into that frightening expression he'd had a week ago at the campfire, and the candles mounted on the wall began to flicker as gold eyes met blue.

"Okay." Sokka said quietly, trying to sound reassuring. "Go ahead."

Zuko cleared his throat a second time and brushed his bangs away from his face. This was not going to be easy. Despite how much he liked Sokka, putting himself in such a vulnerable position was daunting. The firebender was 99% positive the tribesman was head over heels for him, but there was always that lingering doubt, and it ate away at his confidence. Finally he pushed his uncertainty to the back of his mind, and spoke up. "Well… Lately I've been feeling kind of weird."

Sokka's eyebrows knit together with worry and he leaned back, covering his nose and mouth. "You're sick?"

The prince scowled. "_No_. No… not that kind of weird." He cleared his throat again. He had to do this quick.

Get it over with.

"It's just that… I-I," He clenched his fists, frustrated with his inability to gracefully convey his emotions. He couldn't say it. _But how else am I supposed to-_

"Are you alright?" Sokka interrupted his thoughts, and Zuko became distracted by the warrior's soft lips, and the way they curved into a slight frown. "You're looking, um… Upset?" The tribesman was uncertain, and slid an inch or two away from the prince.

Zuko didn't know how to respond, and finally decided he'd just have to show Sokka his feelings, rather than tell him. He lifted his hand slowly and let his fingers graze the soft, dark skin of the warrior's jaw. Zuko looked as though he were about to kill someone, and Sokka inhaled sharply, freezing. In an instant, Zuko decided to take the chance and yank him into an awkward and somewhat intimidating kiss. The younger boy's lips were cool against the firebender's, and for a moment Sokka relaxed and closed his eyes, letting his own hands wander towards Zuko's chest. The prince felt Sokka's fingers tighten around his shirt, but without warning the warrior jerked back and stood, looking flustered and confused.

"Er… I, uh… I-I gotta go." He faltered as he backed to the door.

Zuko stood before the boy could leave, and grabbed his wrist. "What? Why?" The prince couldn't hide the hurt in his voice, but he managed to keep his face apathetic.

Sokka cleared his throat and yanked his wrist away, doing his best to avoid the firebender's golden eyes. "Oh, well ya see I um… I have this thing…" The warrior's voice was an octave higher than usual, and he looked worried.

Zuko hesitated, but he let go of Sokka's wrist. "Fine." He said quietly. The rejection was leaving him bitter and a bit hostile. He opened the door for the warrior and watched as he scurried out.

Sokka heard the door slam behind him, and fought the urge to sprint down the hall. Instead he took slow deliberate steps, and tried to convince his aching lungs to breath deeply, rather than gasp for air. He entered his own room a few doors down from Zuko's, and sat on the bed. His mind was blank now, but earlier all it screamed was _run_. Before Sokka could reflect on his flight, there was a loud pound on the door.

His heart leapt into his throat, fearing it was the prince. "Uh- I'm busy!" He called, cursing when his voice cracked.

"Yeah right!" Someone that was _not_ Zuko replied. The metal door crumpled a bit as it slammed open, and Toph came stomping in. She flicked her wrist and the door slammed shut.

"Toph!" Sokka shrieked. "First of all: what do you think you're doing?! And second: _how_ did you do that?!"

Toph shrugged as she sprawled out on her friend's bed, and said, "Oh, I figured out how to bend metal when some idiots my parents hired caught me." She stuck a finger in her nose and dug around. "Basically I'm the greatest earthbender in the world." She flicked a booger at Sokka casually, and he flinched, reeling backwards. "Anyway. What just happened with you and Sparky?"

Sokka scowled and crossed his arms, sticking his nose in the air. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said indignantly.

Toph rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, okay. You guys were _obviously _getting a little hot and heavy. I felt your _stupid_ heartbeat on the upper deck!" She adjusted a pillow under her head and crossed her legs. "So I was coming down to break it up before something too crazy happened, and then I hear you-" She stopped for a moment when the warrior let out an embarrassed and enraged squeal. "What? Did you chicken out?"

"Ch-chicken out?!" Sokka stuttered, sounding both horrorstruck and exhausted. "What are you talking about?! Toph, you need to mind your own business!"

The small girl shrugged and sighed. "Listen. I know you like him, and I know he likes you, so why did you run off?"

Sokka let out an angry groan and rubbed his face with his hand, trying to get his brain working. He began to pace and contemplated how to answer. Should he tell her the truth? He wrinkled his nose and glared in her direction, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Why do you care?" He growled. "You're just gonna tell me I'm stupid and tease me 'til the day I die."

Toph laughed and nodded. "Probably. But… I dunno." She shrugged. "I guess I just feel like helpin' a pal out today. Poor Princey's down there having an aneurysm. He's not gonna forgive you for this one. Not easily anyway."

Sokka bit his lip and crouched down, unsure and miserable. "What's he doing?" He muttered.

Toph listened for a moment. "Pacing, punching stuff, swearing, spitting fire. Ya know. Whatever firebenders do when they're pissed." Toph sat up to face Sokka. "So why'd ya run off?"

"I dunno…" Sokka muttered cautiously. "…I guess I was scared or something."

Toph seemed to contemplate the response before giving her own.

"Why?"

Sokka sighed heavily and sat on the hard floor, rubbing his eyes. "What do you mean 'why'?" He mumbled. "Why _wouldn't _I be scared? He's… He's the son of the world's greatest enemy! He's a firebender! And… everybody'll _hate _me."

"Because the guy you like is 'evil' or because you want to bone a dude?"

Sokka cringed and whined, "Tooooph, why do you have to be so crude!"

The little girl smiled mischievously, but it quickly faded into seriousness. "C'mon, Sokka. You know no one will care if you like guys."

The warrior scratched at his head as he stared cheerlessly at the blank wall behind his friend. "Katara will." He said quietly. "And what if Dad… ugh." He pinched the bridge of his nose unable to phrase his fear. He squirmed uncomfortably, his tailbone starting to hurt. "I mean… it's just not… manly."

Toph scoffed. "So you think your dad will hate you because you're not _manly_? Do I really need to list your feminine qualities?" Sokka felt his cheeks burn and he stood to sit next to the earthbender, sick of the hard floor. "What I'm trying to say is," she continued. "I really don't think your dad cares how masculine you are. And I don't think where you want to stick your dingdong determines said masculinity." She poked Sokka in the chest. "But you really messed up, you know?"

"Yeah…" Sokka said quietly. "But… I don't know. I don't know what to do."

Toph groaned and slapped her forehead. "Jeez Snoozles, don't be such a pansy. Go apologize!" She shoved him off the bed and the warrior's bedroom door flew open.

He gave her a fleeting glare and left, going to the top deck rather than Zuko's room. He knew he needed to apologize, but shame washed over him, stealing both his confidence and his energy. He wandered quietly, avoiding anyone who might want to talk, and ended up leaning over a railing. He watched the waves crash against the side of the ship as it moved through the water, and wondered at what his life had become – a bunch of uncertainty, discomfort, and confusion. He sighed and tried to tell himself to grow up and confront the prince, but he couldn't do it. Not after hurting him when he was probably at his most vulnerable. Sokka squeezed his eyes shut in frustration as he recalled the way Zuko's voice had cracked when he asked why the warrior was leaving.

Toph sighed as Sokka fled the room, and when she realized he wasn't going to Zuko's chambers, she stood to pay the prince a visit. The young earthbender knocked on the firebender's door, but got no response. She rolled her eyes and tried the doorknob. Locked. Frustrated and out of patience, she gripped the base of the doorknob and twisted the metal until the door would open.

Zuko spun around at the sound, his anger nearly boiling over. "What are you doing!" He hissed as Toph shut the door behind her.

She crossed her arms and stared in the firebender's direction, thinking. "So. You kissed Sokka."

Zuko's jaw clenched and he didn't reply. The incident was painful enough; he didn't need to talk about it. Not only had he lost his home, his mother, his uncle, and his honor – apparently he'd also lost his only friend, too. He'd kissed Sokka, and he had thought it the right thing to do, but the way the tribesman reacted proved otherwise and he was left craving to both kiss the blue-eyed warrior again, and punch him in the face. He clenched his fists at the thought, and ignored Toph as he began to pace.

"Well, I talked to him. He's just being a wuss. He's all scared and stuff."

The words caught Zuko's interest and he paused in his lap around the room. "Scared?" He asked skeptically. "Why would he be afraid?" The prince turned his back to the blind girl to be sure she knew he was still upset with her actions.

"Yeah. The idiot thinks everybody's gonna hate him for being gay or some crap." Toph said, still standing next to the door.

Zuko turned the girls statement over in his mind, wondering how to react. He still felt hurt and angry, but an annoying glimmer of hope sparked in the back of his mind. "What should I do?" He asked quietly.

"Wait, I guess." Toph said with a shrug. "He's going to apologize. Probably just trying to work up the courage." She gave Zuko a slap on the back and left.

* * *

The two boys avoided each other for the rest of that day, which wasn't really difficult. Katara and her father noticed her brother sulking more than usual, but when she pointed it out he'd only snap and stalk away, leaving everyone in a bad mood.

The next day, Sokka finally plucked up his courage like Toph had predicted, and marched determinedly to Prince Zuko's chambers. He opened the door without bothering to knock and found the firebender standing frozen in the center, caught practicing some techniques with his dual dao swords. Sokka shut the door behind him and said defensively, "You kissed me!" He clamped his mouth shut and ignored the blush spreading on his cheeks as he pressed his back against the door, suddenly feeling cowardly.

Zuko avoided looking at him and slowly put his weapons away. "Yes." He replied frankly as he tucked the blades under his bed. He sat on the soft mattress, and Sokka eventually joined him, keeping a distance.

"Well… Why?" The warrior asked, fidgeting.

Zuko scowled and bit his lip. "Because…" He said quietly. "I realized some stuff…" The prince was unable to resist the word vomit that snuck up on him, and he stared sharply in the opposite direction of the warrior. "Ya know… I like the way you smile, how it's all lop-sided and… a-and I like how loud you laugh. And I like talking to you and listening to what you have to say, and I don't know how else to tell you this, because I know what's been bothering you since Chun's, and I wasn't going to tell you because I knew it would just cause trouble but… but…" He trailed off miserably, continuing his staring contest with the wall.

Sokka was on his feet moments after the outburst gaping at the prince disbelievingly. "No, no, no. Wait. I don't understand what's going on here." He babbled nervously. The firebender's words were still confusing, even after the kiss, and Sokka's uncertainty wouldn't let him believe what was happening. "So are you saying you, uh… like me?"

Zuko mumbled something unintelligible and shrugged his shoulders, refusing to face the warrior.

"What?"

The firebender's mumbles got louder.

_"What?"_

The prince groaned loudly and slapped his forehead. "Holy crap, I like you okay!"

Sokka was stunned into silence.

Zuko stood, irritably. This was not the reaction he wanted, and anger began to burn in the pit of his stomach. Sokka quickly noticed the prince's demeanor and suddenly smiled. He'd realized that although his father's opinion was important, it wouldn't change his feelings. And he knew Hakoda loved his son; there was no way he'd think any less of him, right? Zuko liked him. Zuko _actually_ liked him.

An easy smile still lingered as Sokka stepped towards Zuko. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I just… I didn't know what to do." He straightened his back, and took a step closer to the obviously angry boy. "I was scared and stupid."

"You could have said that in the first place." The prince growled. Sokka let out a snort as he pushed the firebender roughly. Zuko was caught off balance, and he flailed as he landed on the bed. The warrior didn't hesitate to take advantage, and jumped on top of him, straddling the firebender's hips. Zuko's confession left Sokka feeling like his old self again. He hadn't realized, but he'd been acting different during those few weeks of secrecy. Now, with his normal confidence fully restored he pinned the bender's wrists to the bed. The heat of his bare skin was unnatural and tantalizing, and forced Sokka to bite his lip in an attempt to control himself.

"What are you doing?!" The prince nearly shouted. Sokka's cocky smile silenced him, and Zuko stared into the boy's icy eyes, flustered and frustrated. Sokka was an emotional rollercoaster.

The warrior, however, was now desperate to express how much he cared about the prince. Unfortunately after holding it back for so long his body refused to let him speak, and he opted to smash his mouth into the firebender's instead. He felt Zuko's muscles tense immediately, but less than a second later the prince relaxed and wrenched his hands from the tribesman's grip. Sokka pulled away, momentarily frightened, but let out a small, pleased grunt when Zuko pulled him back down by the front of his Fire Nation cloak. The prince's kisses were rough and hurried, but his hands were surprisingly tender as they moved to cup the warrior's sharp jaw. The tribesman felt like he was melting under the firebender's touch, and savored the tingle his warm hands left behind, but after a moment Sokka gently broke the contact, feeling they'd gone far enough for the first two minutes of their _potential_ relationship. He watched Zuko slowly open his eyes, and admired the way the gold irises reflected the wavering light of the candles in the room.

"What?" The prince mummered, irritated and slightly embarrassed.

Sokka smiled at the flush that graced his undamaged cheek and sat back, smoothing a hand over the strands of hair that were tugged from his wolf's tail. He slowly climbed off of the firebender and lay next to him, their legs hanging over the edge of the soft bed.

"This is insane." The warrior said quietly as he watched Zuko, who was staring apathetically at the ceiling. The prince blinked, and rolled on his side to face Sokka with a slight scowl present. The tribesman gave him a dimpled grin and asked, "Why are you making that face?"

Zuko looked surprised. "W-what face?" He stammered as Sokka chuckled and attempted to mimic the prince's glower.

Zuko stuck out his bottom lip in an unintentionally endearing pout and propped his head up with his hand. "Okay, okay… I guess this is just…" He decided to sit up, putting his back to Sokka, who watched with a relaxed disposition.

"It's weird. I know." The tribesman finished. He sat up as well, suddenly nervous. "But… Is it okay?"

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, shooting a quick look at the boy next to him. "I mean… As long as…" He cleared his throat and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "As long as it's okay with you."

Sokka smiled. "Well, _duh_."

Zuko couldn't resist a small smile in return. "You're still not forgiven though."

Sokka replied with a grin, and the two sat quietly for a while until the warrior's curiosity began to peak. "So, how long did you know that I… Ya know…"

Zuko leaned back again, tucking his hands behind his head. "I figured it out the night before you're friends came."

Sokka cringed remembering the painful flood of emotions he'd had that evening, and nodded. "Then… How long have you wanted to…" He gave a mischievous grin and crudely thrust his hips back and forth.

"Sokka!" Zuko yelped. He began to stutter a response, but stopped when the Water Tribe warrior leaned over him.

"Sorry," Sokka mummered. His blue eyes were soft and a small smile tugged at his lips. "But you know what I mean. When did you start to like me?"

Zuko was _not _comfortable talking about so much mushy crap and shrugged. "I don't know." He grumbled, trying to avoid the subject. The tribesman gave him an unamused look and raised his eyebrows, waiting for a proper answer. The prince lay stubbornly, and flinched when Sokka began to lean towards him.

"C'mon." He whispered. His cool lips were brushing against Zuko's and the prince suddenly found it difficult to think. He pursed his lips and turned his head away from Sokka's audacious tease.

"Fine. I guess I figured it out the morning after I realize you liked me. But… I think I just didn't notice that I liked you before. I mean… When I was around you I did a lot of things I normally wouldn't."

Sokka was feeling flattered and pushed for more, "Like what?"

"Well…" Zuko wrinkled his nose with embarrassment when he felt Sokka's lips brush his undamaged cheekbone. "Ugh. Do I have to talk about this?"

The tribesman sat up, chuckling to himself. "No. Not right now anyway, but eventually." He gave the prince an especially pathetic pout and asked, "One more question though?"

Zuko groaned and slapped his forehead. "_Fine._"

Sokka grinned and leaned back over him again. "What made you realize? That morning I mean."

The warrior watched, a bit confused and pleased when Zuko's mouth clamped shut. The firebender couldn't decide if he was willing to admit exactly _how much _he liked the tribesman, and he hesitated for a while longer until the warrior began to mercilessly jab his sides with a pointer finger.

"Okay, okay!" Zuko cried, slapping his hands away and trying to keep up an angry façade. "I knew when… Well, I heard you saying my name in your sleep that morning. But you weren't really _saying _it, so much as… like… moaning it." Zuko felt his face burn hotter than ever before and it made the scar tissue over his left eye itch a bit. He ignored it and did his best to focus on the warrior still leaning over him. "And, well… I _guess _I liked it."

Sokka's brows furrowed as he tried to think back, and a smirk settled onto his lips. "Oh, yeah?" He said casually, waving a hand in the air. "_That's _what made you realize…? And then you were gone when I woke up. Hm. I wonder why." The warrior made a quick, vulgar hand motion in between his legs, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Zuko's mouth dropped and he shoved the tribesman a bit roughly.

"No!" The prince shouted. "I was practicing my forms, _Sokka_! Besides, you were the one having the dirty dreams!" Sokka's laugh echoed in the room and he was about to give a witty retort when there was a loud pounding on the door. Zuko sat up abruptly and accidently caught the warrior's nose with his shoulder as he raced to the sound. He opened it after muttering a "sorry," and was a little annoyed to find Katara.

The young tribeswoman stood angrily with her hands on her hips and glared at Zuko like he was the embodiment of pure evil. Her eyes darted between the prince and her brother and she hissed, "_What _is going on in here?" Her gaze was suspicious, and she noticed Sokka holding his nose. "Were you fighting?!" Katara popped open her waterskin and drew out a whip-like stream of water.

Zuko stepped back, subduing his urge to retaliate, and he shook his head. "We _weren't _fighting." He snapped. Sokka stood, and walked up behind him.

"Come on, Katara." The warrior said, clearly annoyed. "We were just messing around and I bumped my nose. It's fine. Go fix your hair-loopies or something."

She let out an angry gasp, but her retort was cut off by the door, which Sokka happily slammed in her face.

* * *

**Welp, there ya go, they told each other!** ヽ(｀◇´)/


	12. Chapter 12

**Eeeeee this is short and so late, I'm so sorry everybody.** ヽ(´ー`)ﾉ  
**I just started work at a summer camp, and I stay there for four days a week so the chapters will be slow coming.**  
**But don't worry, I haven't given up!** ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ

* * *

Zuko gaped at Sokka's response to his sister. "She's going to _kill_ me." He groaned, running a hand over his face.

Sokka gave him a grin and shrugged, rubbing his smarting nose. "Nah, I'll protect you!" He swung a friendly arm over the prince's shoulder.

"Really?" Zuko scoffed. "What, like your boomerang's gonna stop her?"

Sokka scowled and removed his arm. "Well, _Jerk_, now I'm just gonna watch while she snuffs – you – out." He jabbed Zuko in the chest to emphasize the last three words, and couldn't help but crack a smile when the firebender began to pout.

"Jerk?" He grumbled, swatting at Sokka's hand.

The warrior's goofy grin widened and he studied Zuko, feeling like he was finally allowed to really _look_ at him. He noticed the contrast of the firebender's black hair against his pale skin, and how his bangs were starting to fall in his eyes. The way he tried to keep up the façade of being aloof and grumpy, despite how obviously pleased he was. Sokka scanned his face, following the way his features flowed, leading to the scarring over his left eye. He watched the gold iris beneath the damaged lid flick back and forth– an island in the sea of red, puckered skin– and he smiled. It was different from the grin he'd been wearing moments before. It was softer, and easier. Something felt natural about his banter with the prince, and he wondered at his fears and what he'd gone through when he realized his feelings for Zuko.

"So…" Sokka said slowly, walking back towards the bed. He wanted to ask the prince how he was dealing with the unusual circumstance they were caught up in, but he wasn't sure if he could talk about something so personal so soon. The firebender noticed his ruminating, and waited impatiently for the warrior to continue.

" 'So,' what?" He asked watching Sokka run his fingers distractedly over the crimson, silk sheets on his bed.

"Well…" The tribesman glanced over his shoulder, scanning Zuko again with his cerulean eyes. "I was wondering if you're… ya know… gay or whatever."

Zuko's face scrunched up a bit, and his head tilted in contemplation, a light tinge of red dusting his cheeks. "Gay…? I dunno. I guess I didn't really think about it." He paused, trying to sort out whether or not he classified himself as such, and feeling a little too embarrassed. "I guess I don't really know. I mean, I've liked girls– one of my sister's friends and this girl in Ba Sing Se… But I never really thought about it." He brushed some hair from his eyes and the light blush deepened as he continued. "I guess I don't know what to call it… I mean, I don't like you based on what's in your… pants… ugh, I don't know." Zuko looked away, breaking the eye contact he held with the warrior. The embarrassment was beginning to overwhelm him, and he tried to push the question back. "What about you?"

Sokka thought quietly and returned his gaze to the sheets his fingers were tracing. He had to admit; it was a little intimidating to be the only one really questioning his sexuality. Although Zuko seemed embarrassed talking about it, he seemed comfortable with himself. Sokka, however, was still having difficulty being okay with his feelings. "I think…" He muttered. His mouth formed a sharp line, and he glanced over his shoulder again, taking in the sight of the boy he fell for. Zuko's eyes were trained back on Sokka, and he watched, interested (although he tried to hide it), but not judgmental. The warrior took a deep breath and finished, "Yeah. I think I'm gay." There. He said it.

Zuko smiled awkwardly and stepped towards the tribesman, reaching out a hesitant hand. Despite the intimacy they'd shared just moments before, he was still uncertain, and didn't want to push Sokka too far. The warrior continued to watch him, his eyebrows knit together. He opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it and turned away.

"So… are you okay?" Zuko asked, unable to determine the proper way to approach the boy's fluctuating emotions.

The warrior shrugged, and smirked, turning to finally face the prince. "Yeah…" His smile faltered. "But can we not tell anyone about this?"

"Oh," Zuko was surprised by the request and it stung at first, but he remembered Toph's words the other day. Sokka was afraid.

"You haven't told anyone else?"

Sokka shrugged again. "Just Toph. And Hui."

Another surprise. Zuko nodded, remembering the waitress and his original assumption that she and Sokka had had sex that night. He smiled back at the warrior, and gracelessly patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't." He said quietly, attempting to comfort his… _boyfriend?_ Zuko's physical contact was awkward, but the sincerity in his words made Sokka's stomach twist into pleasant knots. The warrior laughed, pushing Zuko's hand away.

Now that the initial euphoria was over, the warrior was unsure of how much physical contact he was allowed, and melted a little when Zuko's hand slowly grabbed one of his. Sokka squeezed his eyes shut and soaked up the prince's unusual body heat. "Ugh…I like you." The warrior groaned, hushed and almost ashamed. He felt Zuko's hand get a little hotter, squeeze a little tighter.

"Um… Are you sure you're okay?" The firebender asked.

"Yeah," The Sokka answered, not actually sure of how okay he was. "You wanna go get some dinner?" The prince nodded after a moment of hesitation, and let go. The two boys wandered up to the top deck, doing their best to avoid touching each other, and keeping quiet.

When they entered the kitchen, Zuko offered to prepare their meal, and Sokka sat at the small table. The prince stood over the stove, stirring rice (which was apparently all they'd ever eat again) and watching the warrior, who seemed to be struggling to say something. Zuko sighed.

"What, Sokka?" He asked with a small smile. "What could you possibly be afraid to say now?"

The boy's blue eyes squinted, offended, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well… If we both like each other…" He was whispering, and pink painted his tanned cheeks. "Well, does that mean we're, uh, like… Dating?" Zuko watched him in silence for a moment, unexpectedly thrilled and nervous at the same time. He did his best to keep a blank face, and replied as if it wouldn't affect him one way or the other.

"If that's what you want."

Sokka's shoulders drooped in relief, and he gave the prince a goofy grin. "Yeah." He breathed. "That's… exactly what I've wanted."

Zuko turned back to his cooking, hiding his obvious smile, and the two sat in a now comfortable silence, until Katara walked in.

"Oh." She said coldly.

Sokka sighed guiltily and pulled the chair next to him out, offering it to his fuming sister. "Here." He mumbled, patting the seat.

Her glared flicked between her brother and Zuko for a moment before she decided to sit.

"Sorry, sis." Sokka said quietly, taking her hand. She let him, but refused to look in his direction.

"I just don't understand you." She growled. Zuko's back tensed. "Why are you so buddy-buddy with him? He's _evil_."

The warrior stared at his sister as an angry spattering of sounds fell from his mouth, and he tried to think of a way to make her see the unfairness in her words. "You don't actually know him." He hissed. "And stop talking like he isn't here!" Sokka let go of her hand. "He's _actually _pretty awesome, not that you would know." Zuko blushed and Katara scoffed, but Sokka cut her off before she could interrupt. "He's a great friend, and he helped me through a lot, not that you knew that either! You haven't asked _once_ what I did while I was gone! If it weren't for Mr. Evil over there," Sokka gestured at Zuko a bit wildly, his anger starting to really get the best of him. "Who knows if we would have ever found Appa! A-and…" Hurt suddenly overwhelmed the warrior, and he glanced at his sister's equally blue eyes. "And besides... why can't you just trust me?"

She looked at Zuko, then back at her brother, her demeanor changing from enraged to sad and quiet. The prince had finished preparing the meal and awkwardly set out three small bowls, filling each with some rice.

Katara stared at the subtle offering for a split second, but quickly returned her gaze to her brother. "Of course I trust you!" She said, offended. "But sometimes your decisions are stupid." She pushed the bowl away and stood, putting her back to the two boys. She directed her words at Zuko. "And you'd better be carful. I swear to the moon, if you slip up once…" She glared back at the prince with the same icy eyes that mimicked her brother's worry and then stalked off, letting the threat hang.

Zuko sighed heavily and picked at his rice. "She's gonna hate me forever."

Sokka frowned and pulled his sister's abandoned bowl towards him. "Nah. Just for a really, really long time." The prince hid his smile behind a light scowl, and watched Sokka with fondness as the warrior inhaled his portion of rice, then moved on to his sister's.

After only a short moment Sokka was finished and smiling, both pleased and relaxed as he rested his elbows on the table, holding his face in his hands. He glanced around, making sure they were both alone, and then asked secretively, "So now that you're… my boyfriend or whatever, am I allowed to… ya know, like, touch you and stuff?"

Zuko's lips formed a surprised 'O' and he blinked dumbly. They sat in a long, stressful silence, until the firebender finally spoke. "You want to…" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "… Touch me?"

Sokka nodded, not catching the meaning at first, but his eyes widened when he realized Zuko's interpretation, and he felt his cheeks burn under his fingertips. "No, no, no!" He said quickly, covering his face. "Well, I mean maybe but that's not what I was… Ugh…" The warrior parted his fingers just enough to peek at the prince, who scowled at the wall to his left. "I just wanted to know if you're okay with like… I dunno, hugs and what-not?" Sokka didn't want to admit it, but he was a pretty big fan of cuddling.

"Oh…" Zuko said slowly, his flush retreating. "Well… yeah. I guess that stuff's okay… Whenever you're comfortable with it, I mean." The Prince of the Fire Nation would rather _die_ than admit he'd been craving Sokka's touch since their first kiss.

The warrior let his hands fall from his face, and gave the firebender a lop-sided smile. He gathered up his dishes, and stood to wash them at the sink behind Zuko. "Cool…" He muttered, busying himself with the cleanup.

There was silence until Sokka finished. "So," he said as he stood next to Zuko, resting his hand on his shoulder. "I was thinking we could spar or something…to pass the time, ya know?" The warrior leaned towards the prince nervously, allowing his lips to brush the firebender's damaged cheek. Zuko was about to respond, but was cut off by Sokka's surprised "eep!" as Hakoda entered the room. The younger warrior's back snapped straight and he marched out the exit, leaving Zuko sitting alone with a very confused Water Tribe Chief.

"Uh, He was just t-telling me something." Zuko said quickly, scowling down at the table and silently cursing Sokka for leaving him behind.

Hakoda stared at him, his face disbelieving. "Right…" The eldest warrior sighed and slowly sat across from the prince, crossing his arms on the table in front of him. "So you two are friends." His stern eyes met Zuko's briefly.

"Yes…" The older tribesman made the prince almost as nervous as his own father, and this anxiety limited his responses to one word.

Hakoda regarded him tiredly and nodded. "That Sokka's something, hm?"

"Er… Yeah…" Zuko mumbled lamely, avoiding the father's gaze.

Hakoda pressed his fingers into his eyes, seeming to hold back. "So… Toph said I should, uh… talk to you about something…"

Zuko's nose wrinkled at the mentioning of the young earthbender, and he felt a heat rise on his cheeks. "Really." He said, pressing his fists anxiously into his lap, his eyes practiaclly burning holes in the table. "About what."

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me." Hakoda replied. He watched the blush spreading across the prince's face, and shook his head. "Seems to be something rather embarrassing going on between the two of you."

"_No_." Zuko said a bit too quickly. "I mean… There's nothing going on."

The chief stared off to the side, clearly unconvinced and still tense. Zuko sat in silence, refusing to look anywhere but the table.

"What's going on?" Hakoda's voice was blunt and stern – too fatherly for Zuko to respond in any positive manner.

"It's not my place to say." He snapped, the heat in his cheeks burning unbearably.

The chief nodded. "I see. Well, I suppose I'll throw some guesses out there then." He leaned on the table crossing his arms. "How about… you two are fooling around."

Zuko's mouth formed a tight line and he couldn't find the words to respond.

"Oh boy." Hakoda groaned, running a hand of his tousled brown hair. "I thought so." He glanced up at Zuko, raising an eyebrow. "Calm down." He grumbled, leaning away from the boy.

Zuko sat unresponsive, his face twisted into an intense glare.

"What?" Hakoda asked, a little agitated. "Why are you making that face."

The prince's chest puffed up in fear and he tried to say something, surprised at the exact words Sokka had used. "Y-you aren't supposed to know!" He barked.

Hakoda was taken aback, now agitated _and_ offended. The chief sat up tall, and gave Zuko his most intimidating stare.

The firebender matched his stance, despite the actual fear he felt, and said, "Sokka didn't want anyone to know! He's... He's afraid." He saw the father's eyes soften, and his tanned shoulders slackened a bit.

Hakoda suddenly stood and gave a small bow. "I see. It was a pleasure speaking with you." He turned, walking towards the exit, and shot Zuko a glance. In that split second, the Cheif's eyes were full of fatherly a fatherly worry that made the prince remember that was a look he'd probably never see from his own dad.

Zuko let out an aggravated sigh and rubbed his face tiredly. That was awkward.


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay next chapter! Once I'm done with work (and no longer so distracted by New Leaf) the chapters will get longer and less... lame. Sorry. **

(ﾉ´ｰ`)ﾉ

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Sokka leaned his elbows against the railing at the stern of the ship, unable to decide whether he should go back and save Zuko, or wait and face the firebender's wrath later. He'd actually been standing there for more than a few minutes, but the debate he was holding with himself kept him distracted, and was only interrupted by a strong, calloused hand on his shoulder. He jumped at the touch and whirled around to face his father, who looked unyielding and concerned.

Sokka felt his teeth dig into his bottom lip as he tried to remove his father's hand and escape. "Ha ha, what's up, dad?" He asked with a nervous chuckle as he tried to pry Hakoda's fingers away. "I was just gonna go… uh… clean between Appa's toes? Hah." Hakoda raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Yeeaaaah," The youngest tribesman continued. "Kidding, kidding. Actually I have to –"

"Sokka. What's going on." Hakoda was demanding, not requesting. Sokka blinked wide eyes a few times, his words catching in his throat.

"I-I don't know what you mean." He squeaked, finally freeing himself from is father's clutches.

Hakoda let out a long, weary sigh and turned to watch as choppy waves interrupted the smooth line of the horizon. "Look, son. I know what's going on between you and that firebender."

_"How?"_ Sokka gasped. They'd only been officially together for a few hours!

The chief's sharp eyes squinted at the waters over the railing, and he hesitated to respond. "That little earthbender. She let it slip the other day when you were being sulky – although I suspect the slip was on purpose. Then I spoke to the firebender. He confirmed it."

Sokka frowned sharply, taking a few steps away from his father. "Well, what did they say?" The young tribesman hoped his father had heard something other than the truth. _Anything_ but the truth.

"Toph said you were…" Hakoda made air quotes as he rolled his eyes. " 'Butt-hurt because you can't admit your feelings for a certain Sparky.' " Sokka covered his burning face with a hand and kept quiet as his father continued. "And as for said _Sparky_, well he told me… you didn't tell me because you were afraid."

Sokka let his hand fall, and he stared at the ground, looking ashamed. "Sorry, dad." He whispered, crossing his arms defensively. "I know it's wrong, and I didn't mean to keep it from you."

Hakoda studied his son pensively for a while. "You know I love you, Sokka." He said quietly. His son nodded, and continuing to look humiliated. "I want what's best for you, and… If he were anyone else… If _we_ were anyone else…"

Sokka finally lifted his gaze, wounded and confused. "W-what do you mean?" He breathed.

Hakoda's unwavering eyes stared his son down as he continued. "He is the Prince of the Fire Nation. You are the next in line to be Chief of our tribe. You both have duties, Sokka, and if this war ever ends, what then?"

"I don't understand." The miserable teenager whispered. "W-we've barely started, and you're already telling me to end it?"

Hakoda took in a slow, deep breath, and let it out. "No, I'm not telling you to end it. I'm just saying, be _prepared _for an ending. This cannot last, no matter how much you want it to."

Sokka's face began to scrunch up and his eyes became glossy. Shame and betrayal covered his face as he stared at his father. "Who said I was planning for it to last anyway!" He croaked angrily. It was a statement made out of fear, but it had some truth behind it. Sokka had been subconsciously preparing himself for Zuko to change his mind since their first kiss. He hadn't realized it, but the situation truly felt too good to be true. The young warrior tried to continue, "W-why would you…" Sokka pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Hurt and confusion flooded his mind, and drowned out any coherent thoughts he was trying to have.

Guilt welled up inside Hakoda as he watched his son search for words, and he wrapped his arms around the young tribesman. Sokka trembled with the effort he was exerting to prevent any wimpy crying, and an especially difficult wave of hurt washed over him as Hakoda's comforting arms tightened. "I'm sorry, son." The chief muttered, squeezing the boy of only sixteen comfortingly. "I'm trying to protect you. You are both men from very different worlds; worlds in which you have responsibilities."

Sokka let his hands dropped and balled them into fists, nodding into his father's shoulder. He knew eventually he'd have to do what was best for his tribe, no matter how much it hurt. "I didn't mean for this to happen." He whispered with fixed determination, barely able to let the words escape his closing throat. His feelings for Zuko were stronger than anything he'd felt for any significant other, but he knew they were just kids. And what was it they said about young love? _It never lasts._

Hakoda laugh quietly, suddenly lighter of heart. "I know, son… I'm sorry. I have no problem with the two of you, but when the time comes… Just remember your responsibilities." He squeezed the boy closer to him. "I'm sorry, Sokka."

"S'okay." Sokka mumbled into Hakoda's soft, blue shirt. "…I'd never abandon the tribe."

The Chief took a deep breath and finally let go of his son. "Alright, well, now that that's done – why the firebender? Katara says he chased you guys to the ends of the earth for _months_."

"Oh…" Sokka sighed. "Well… I dunno." He crossed his arms defensively across his chest and muttered under his breath, "I'm not gonna list all the reasons I like him."

Hakoda heard the comment and chuckled. "Okay, okay… But I must admit, it's kind of a surprise." He ruffled his son's hair, pulling strands away from the leather cord that held it together. "When did you realize you were interested in men, anyway?"

Sokka's jaw dropped at his father's forwardness, and he quickly spun around, putting his back to him in an attempt to hide his burning cheeks. "Daaaaaaad!" He whined. "I don't wanna talk about this!" He was glad his father was unfazed, but _really._

Hakoda laughed again, and ruffled Sokka's hair a little more. "Fine. We can talk about this whenever you're ready." He stepped around his son and began to head towards the door that led below deck. As he opened the entrance he called, "I'm off to take a nap… Oh, and you should check on your firebender, he seemed pretty angry…" Sokka let out a groan as his father disappeared.

Luckily, he didn't have to go searching for the prince because as soon as the door closed behind Hakoda Zuko promptly rounded the corner, and approached Sokka with a strange look on his face.

The tribesman avoided his gaze and placed his hands on his hips. "So… did you hear all of that?" He asked quietly. He hoped the prince had been hiding around the corner for entire conversation, saving the Sokka from having to repeat it.

Zuko let his eyes roam over the Water Tribe warrior and nodded, with an air of caution. "Yes…" Oh, he'd heard everything all right. Zuko continued, his face blank but his voice sharp, "What was that you said? You weren't planning for this to last anyway?"

He knew he was being childish. Sokka's words were most likely spoken out of desperation, anger, _something_ – but it stung nonetheless. Zuko hated admitting it to himself, but letting someone get this close to him was difficult. The prince loathed feeling vulnerable, it was too dangerous (he'd learned that lesson long ago thanks to his father and Azula), and any sign of manipulation immediately set off alarms in his mind, warning him not to trust.

It took a moment for Zuko's words to sink into Sokka's mind. He frowned, and finally looked the prince in the eye. "Well… I mean, I _want_ it to last, but… You're the Prince of the Fire Nation and I'm just some twerp from a dinky tribe that no one knows about…" He shrugged, giving Zuko a sad smile. "I just…" Sokka sighed tiredly. "I was just trying to brace myself okay?"

Zuko stood calmly, watching the warrior with an equally tired gaze. He rubbed his temples. The explanation was sensible, and the prince was displeased with his initial assumptions and overreaction. He had to learn to trust Sokka if he really wanted this. "… Banished Prince." He finally mumbled.

The warrior looked at him quizzically, waiting for an elaboration.

"I'm the _Banished _Prince, so who cares who I choose to affiliate with? And… Well I wasn't hoping for a… _temporary_ relationship." He scowled at the ground.

Sokka smiled a relieved, toothy smile, and grabbed Zuko's hand. "Me either." He said elatedly. "Besides, all that 'responsibilities' stuff… It's _ages_ away." He didn't want to sound clingy, and assume that they'd be together for that long, so he didn't add that they would figure something out. But he hoped.

Zuko glanced at the tan hand clasping his, then turned his eyes up to meet Sokka's. He couldn't understand how the warrior's emotions were in such a constant state of flux, and chalked it up to his Water Tribe heritage, although it was probably some hidden insecurities. "So um… You, uh, wanna spar now?" He asked quietly, finally giving Sokka a small smile.

The tribesman's stomach flipped at the sight, and he nodded eagerly. "Alright, but I'm not very good. Actually I don't know anything, just stuff I've taught myself." He tugged Zuko in the direction of the stairs and they began to head to their rooms and gave him an innocent smile. "So I was hoping you could teach me a few things? All I've got is my dagger and club, so maybe we could do, like, hand-to-hand or something? "

The prince nodded silently, distracted and hyper aware of how soft Sokka's skin was. The warrior gave Zuko's fingers a squeeze, and let go as they made their way downstairs and into Zuko's room. The prince watched as Sokka removed his black cloak and boomerang. "Okay!" He said enthusiastically. "Where do we start?"

* * *

The "sparring" was hardly that. It mostly consisted of Sokka getting knocked on his butt and Zuko getting frustrated. Eventually it simply became trainingfor Sokka.

A few hours later the boys were in Sokka's room, relaxing. The warrior was on the floor, with various leafs of paper sprawled around him. Some had crude paintings of his friends and animals, and others had some silly haikus, most involving food (particularly meat).

"Okay how about this one?" Sokka asked Zuko, who was lying on the tribesman's bed with his eyes closed. The warrior received no answer and stood, crawling in next to the firebender.

Zuko's damaged eye cracked open just enough to see Sokka's face hovering inches over his, and then closed again. "What is it?" He mummered.

"I drew a picture of you, look!"

Zuko's brow furrowed a bit. "It is going to be insulting again?" He asked, wrinkling his nose to cover up the smile creeping onto his face. His eyes stayed closed as Sokka rolled onto his back. "Just loooook."

The prince sighed and finally opened his eyes, turning to Sokka, who had a mischievous grin. The blue-eyed boy held up his drawing and displayed a child-like caricature of Zuko. As far as the prince could tell, there was nothing insulting about the rather bad drawing. "Very nice." He muttered, cracking a small smile. "Looks just like me." Sokka raised an eyebrow, obviously dissatisfied with the reaction. "Didn't you read the bottom?"

Zuko spotted what Sokka was referring to. Scrawled across the bottom in miniscule writing it said "My favorite Jerkbender." The prince let out a bark-like laugh and snatched the picture away, quickly tucking the piece of paper into the folds of his shirt. He tried to make it look like he was angry, like he didn't want anyone else to see it. In reality, however, the prince was drawn to the endearing statement written at the bottom, and wanted to keep it. Zuko found it weirdly reassuring to have someone care about him. "Well aren't you sweet." He crooned mockingly, punching Sokka lightly in the gut.

The warrior let out a loud laugh and rolled on top of the prince, straddling his hips. "You're gonna regret that!" He cried with mock-anger. The tanned fingers found their way to the firebender's sides and dug in viciously, eliciting screeching, angry laughter from Zuko.

"No, no, no! Stop!" He bellowed, utterly uncomfortable and afraid of the lack of control. The prince felt his body tensing painfully as the warrior tickled him,and he shoved at Sokka, accidentally throwing the surprised boy onto the floor. The warrior lay in shock for a time, listening to Zuko's rattled breathing slowly become normal again. Finally he sat up and peered over the edge of the full sized bed. "Um… Sorry." He mummered, afraid he'd done something wrong. The prince was rubbing his eyes with fists, and didn't respond at first. Finally he sighed and turned to the frightened tribesman with a smile that he attempted to cover up with a scowl, like usual. "You're an idiot."

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**Next chapter: Aang wakes up! Fun times.**

**Oh and thank you to those of you who take the time to review, it's very encouraging. I get pretty self conscious about my writing, so when you guys are like "whoo character deveopment!" and stuff it makes me feel a lot better. **

ヽ(Ｔ∇Ｔ)ﾉ

**Dont be afraid of constructive criticism though! Sometimes I feel like I'm losing some of the character's personality...** :/

**Okay, okay I'm done blabbering!**


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